Fasolka po Bretońsku, Polish Beans in Tomato
Fasolka po Bretońsku, Poland's take on Breton beans, is a thick, tomatoey bean stew eaten as a hearty side or a bowl on its own across Polish home kitchens. It usually leans on kielbasa and bacon, but the flavor that matters is the smoke and the deep tomato, both of which come easily without meat: smoked paprika stands in for the sausage, and toasting the tomato paste until it turns brick red builds the savory bottom note. White beans hold their shape while a few mashed against the pot thicken the sauce, so it turns glossy rather than soupy. A little grated apple and a splash of cider vinegar bring the gentle sweet-and-sour balance the dish is known for, with no added sugar. It reheats beautifully and, like most bean stews, tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Navy beans, cooked, drained
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried marjoram
- 2 wholes Bay leaves
- 1/2 whole Apples, grated
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the diced onion in a spoonful of water in a dry pot until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. This slow start builds the sweet base the whole dish rests on, since with no meat and no salt the onion has to carry the savor.
- Push the onion aside, drop the tomato paste into the bare spot, and let it fry in place for a minute until it darkens to brick red. Toasting the paste this way turns it from sour and raw into something deep and almost sweet, and it is the single step that separates a good pot of these beans from a flat one.
- Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, marjoram, and bay, then add the crushed tomatoes and the cooked beans with a cup (240 ml) of water. Smoked paprika is doing the work that smoked sausage does in the traditional recipe, lending the meaty, smoky note without any meat.
- Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and clings to the beans. As it cooks, mash a few beans against the side of the pot; their starch thickens the sauce into something glossy rather than watery.
- Fold in the grated apple, the vinegar, and the pepper in the last few minutes. The apple brings a whisper of sweetness with fiber attached, standing in for the spoon of sugar the classic often gets, and the splash of vinegar sharpens the whole pot before it comes off the heat.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 200 calories, 11 g protein, 9 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
