A comforting, plant-based recipe featuring tender brothy beans in a rich tomato-miso broth. This simple, flavorful dish is perfect for cozy meals, served with crusty bread for dipping. Ready in under an hour, it’s a delicious way to elevate pantry staples into a nourishing, satisfying meal.

This brothy beans recipe comes from The Yearlong Pantry, the third cookbook by Erin Alderson. Her new cookbook is a fresh guide to creating a well-stocked, seasonal pantry that fuels creative, flavorful meals all year long. Known for her expertise in plant-based, whole-food cooking, Erin offers readers a unique approach to stocking and using pantry staples. She emphasizes locally sourced and home-preserved ingredients and encourages readers to make the most of fresh produce when it’s abundant and learn how to preserve it for later months.

Hear from Erin on How California Produce Inspires Her Recipes

My relationship with food is directly tied to being fortunate enough to live in the central valley of California. I spent many years of my career getting to know the farmers and food producers that make it so special. Drive any direction from Sacramento and you’re met with an abundance of varieties of produce, grains, and seeds.

It’s usually on these drives that I get my inspiration, knowing we have access to these wonderful ingredients, making our meals just that more special. And so, I want my food to really honor these ingredients day in and day out. I really can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Why You’ll Love this Brothy Beans Recipe

Around the time I was really into learning about handmade pasta, my son’s favorite meal was tomato soup with leftover pasta. I had decided I wanted a grown-up version and landed on cappelletti with a luscious tomato broth. I made these beans one day when I didn’t feel like making fresh pasta but needed to use up the broth, and as the story goes, the rest is history.

While it may be bit unconventional, I like to spoon the beans and broth over stale bread, softening it and letting it become part of the broth. Alternatively, if you prefer your bread crisp, toast the bread and dip into the broth, make a cheese toastie, or serve with fresh bread and butter on the side.

Other Bean Recipes to Try

If your go-to bean recipes are bean burritos or chili, that’s great! But don’t stop there! We’re sharing some of our favorite ways to use CA Grown beans. 

Get the bean recipes >>

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Beans in Tomato-Miso Broth

Erin Alderson

Around the time I was really into learning about handmade pasta, my son’s favorite meal was tomato soup with leftover pasta. I had decided I wanted a grown-up version and landed on cappelletti with a luscious tomato broth. I made these beans one day when I didn’t feel like making fresh pasta but needed to use up the broth, and as the story goes, the rest is history. While it may be bit unconventional, I like to spoon the beans and broth over stale bread, softening it and letting it become part of the broth. Alternatively, if you prefer your bread crisp, toast the bread and dip into the broth, make a cheese toastie, or serve with fresh bread and butter on the side.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 407 kcal

Equipment

• Medium Saucepan

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

TOMATO BROTH

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 8 cups water
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
• to taste
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

FOR SERVING

• 3 cups cooked and drained corona or other large beans
• 4 slices slightly stale bread
• Ground black pepper for serving

Instructions

 

• Make the broth: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, place the tomatoes cut side down in the saucepan. Sear, turning once or twice, until the tomatoes begin to soften and exude some of their juice, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and sugar and continue to cook until you notice some caramelization happening at the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to low, scrape the bottom of the pan, and add the water, garlic, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, decrease to a simmer, and use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes into pieces.
• Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the broth reduces slightly and develops a rounded tomato taste. Remove from the stove and stir in the miso and black pepper.
• Pass the broth through a strainer, scraping the inside with a spatula instead of pressing the mixture through—this will prevent the tomato pieces from pushing through. Return the broth to the stove, taste, and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.
• To assemble: Once the broth is to your liking, add the beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Put a bread slice in the bottom of four bowls and top with a few ladles of the broth and beans. Finish with black pepper, as desired.

Notes

As with most broths, the overall flavor is delicate; it’s there but can easily be upstaged by something with a lot of flavor. It’s rare that I’d tell you a recipe needs home-cooked beans, but this is one of those recipes. The flavor of a well-seasoned bean adds so much to the dish and doesn’t outshine the tomato flavor.
If you like a bit of heat in your meals, try adding a chile or two to the broth while it simmers or use a ground chile powder in place of the black pepper.
Make Ahead: The broth will keep up to a week in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 6 months. The beans in broth will keep for 5 to 6 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portionCalories: 407kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 18gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 2937mgPotassium: 1053mgFiber: 14gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1210IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 6mg

Keyword beans recipe, brothy beans, tomato miso broth

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Meet Erin Alderson

Erin Alderson is the creative mind behind Naturally Ella, a beloved food blog that celebrates the beauty of whole, seasonal ingredients. It focuses on inventive vegetarian recipes and a rustic, approachable style. Erin’s culinary inspiration draws from her rural roots and a commitment to sustainable, plant-based cooking. Originally launched as a personal journey to embrace healthier eating, Naturally Ella quickly grew into a trusted resource for people seeking wholesome, down-to-earth meals.

Erin’s philosophy centers on making the most of seasonal produce. Her recipes showcase the diversity of vegetables, grains, and legumes with modern twists on comfort food classics. She’s known for her gorgeous food photography and thoughtful recipe development. Erin has authored several cookbooks, including her new cookbook The Yearlong Pantry.