Pork and White Bean Stew with Kale

Serves 6 • Cooking Time 6 to 8 hours on Low or 4 to 6 hours on High • Slow Cooker Size 4 to 7 Quarts

Slug Icon WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: For a real stick-to-your-ribs meal, we used a classic white bean stew as a starting point and incorporated meaty pork and earthy kale. Boneless country-style pork ribs required minimal prep work, and thanks to plenty of intramuscular fat, they were moist and fall-apart tender after several hours in the slow cooker. Dried beans were still undercooked by the time the pork was done, but canned white beans cooked through perfectly in the same amount of time and required little preparation. To give the stew body, we pureed a portion of them with broth before adding them to the slow cooker. To boost the fresh flavor of the stew and complement the rich pork and beans, we added 2 tablespoons of whole-grain mustard after the kale had cooked through. Cutting the kale into 1-inch pieces allowed the hearty green to become tender in just 20 minutes of Cooking Time. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2

onions, chopped fine

4

garlic cloves, minced

1

tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1

teaspoon canola oil

3

(15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed

4

cups chicken broth, plus extra as needed

Salt and pepper

1½

pounds boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1½-inch pieces

8

ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2

tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1. Microwave onions, garlic, thyme, and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.

2. Process one-third of beans and 1 cup broth in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining beans, remaining 3 cups broth, and ¼ teaspoon salt, then stir in pork. Cover and cook until pork is tender, 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high.

3. Stir in kale, cover, and cook on high until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. (Adjust stew consistency with extra hot broth as needed.) Stir in mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Per 1⅔-cup serving:
Cal 340
Fat 8g
Sat Fat 2.5g
Chol 85mg
Carb 29g
Protein 36g
Fiber 8g
Sodium 990mg
*To reduce sodium level to 410mg, use low-sodium beans and unsalted broth.