Pumpkin, Kale & White Bean Stew with Sage

With the onset of cooler weather, my thoughts run to long-sleeve shirts, swaths of red and orange leaves staining the mountainside, and gloriously comforting fall food. Stews, slow-braised meats, home-canned pickles and preserves, sweet breads, and any excuse for chocolate dominate the autumn gastronomical landscape. Yet, it need not be a time when we stop listening to our bodies and pound a gut-bomb of chili with cheese, and fried scones. Instead, there are endless possibilities for fueling ourselves with premium food while heating up our core with warmth and satisfaction. Think savory sage simmered with onions, garlic, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, kale, and silky white beans. These elements all come together in this recipe for Pumpkin, Kale, & White Bean Stew with Sage—a delightful way to use up those Volkswagon-sized zucchini left anonymously on your doorstep, along with the last home-grown tomatoes of the year. Entirely vegetarian, this dish needs no chicken stock or flavoring cubes for a rich stock. For fun presentation serve it up in a mini-pumpkin shell, a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and a hunk of crusty artisan bread. Bring on the tailgate parties, Halloween costumes, and firewood. But mostly, bring on the food.

Pumpkin, Kale, & White Bean Stew with Sage

Serves 6

This Tuscan vegetarian dish is the perfect way to use up late-summer herbs, tomatoes, kale, onions and zucchini. In a pinch, canned tomatoes will do. With bold flavors and a rich stew texture, it screams ‘comfort food’ as the weather turns colder.

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cups baking pumpkin (sugar pumpkin), peeled and cut into medium dice

3-pounds very ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 15-ounce cans white beans (Cannelini, Great Northern, etc.), one can drained and rinsed

3 cups baby kale, chopped (if using large leaves remove center vein) or spinach

2 cups zucchini, chopped or shredded

4-5 large fresh sage leaves, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

a pinch crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot on medium heat. Add onion and pumpkin and sauté for a minute. Add garlic and cook for only 30 seconds stirring constantly. Add tomatoes with their juices all at once. Add the drained can of beans and then dump in the second can with its juices. Stir to incorporate. Add kale, zucchini, sage, and crushed red pepper flakes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. It may require a lot of salt- beans are funny that way.

Simmer on medium low for at least ½ hour, stirring occasionally. If mixture seems dry add water and a bit of olive oil.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.