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    Home » Soups & Stews

    Smoky Romanian Bean Stew (Fasole cu Afumătură)

    Published: Nov 21, 2020 · Modified: Sep 24, 2023 by Cristina · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The cold weather has finally arrived in Amsterdam so it's time for hearty stick-to-your-ribs food. In truth we eat this type of bean stew every few months, even in the summer. But it's especially comforting once there's a chill in the air.

    This smoky Romanian bean stew is a classic Romanian dish that I grew up eating and that I'm sure many Romanians have very fond memories of. It's a dish that says comfort and family. It isn't necessarily served on any special occasions, but it's so ubiquitous on tables across the country and throughout the diaspora that it's hard not to associate it with cozy moments with the ones you love.

    More Romanian recipes:

    • Classic Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorbă de perisoare)
    • Slow Roasted Caramelized Cabbage
    • Sweet Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Pasta
    • Romanian Feta Pie (Plăcintă cu telemea)
    • Romanian Green Pea Stew (Mancare de Mazare)

    It's a humble dish, with its origins in humble sensibilities. No doubt it developed as a way to stretch meat, which until very recently was an expensive commodity that wouldn't grace the dinner table every night of the week. The beauty of a dish like this is that smoked preserved meat (generally pork) is used a little at a time - just enough to impart flavour on beans and vegetables without making the meat the star of the show. There are similar analogues in culinary traditions all over the world from French cassoulet to American pork and beans.

    While this might have developed as a way to make 'filler' ingredients taste better, I've always loved this bean stew even in its vegan iteration without the smoked meat. Our particular combination of spices (at least what was used in my family) is smoked paprika and cimbru, or summer savoury, which has an earthy and herbaceous flavour somewhere between thyme and fenugreek. The combination is beautiful with beans. It adds depth and life.

    In Romanian we call this type of dish mâncăre de fasole. There are so many ways to make mancare de fasole, both regionally and amongst different households. Quite often it's made with smoked sausage as I've done here, in which case it's called fasole cu cârnaţi afumaţi. Fasole cu afumătură more broadly means bean stew (or soup) with some type of smoked meat. Really it can be made with any sort of smoked meat - bacon is a great choice, thick cut ham could also work, and I've even made it with smoked chicken.

    Likewise, since many Romanians adhere to the Orthodox calendar and fast for significant portions of the year there are generally vegan versions of many dishes - and this one is a no brainer.

    For dry beans: Regarding the beans, in this instance I used dry Greek gigantes beans (giant lima beans). I soaked them overnight and they were soft after about 40 minutes of simmering. If you can get your hands on these beans I really recommend giving it a try - they're so meaty. But other types of beans are okay too. For example white beans like cannellini/navy beans or brown beans like pinto etc. I like starting with dry beans because I find it gives more flavour but if canned bean is easier for you then that works very well too.

    This smoky Romanian Bean Stew tastes like home and comfort. It calls for just a few basic ingredients, it’s versatile so you can use what you have, and it only needs about 5-10 minutes of prep time.
    This smoky Romanian Bean Stew tastes like home and comfort. It calls for just a few basic ingredients, it’s versatile so you can use what you have, and it only needs about 5-10 minutes of prep time.

    For canned beans: Follow the steps in the recipe below but simmer uncovered so the liquid reduces into a thick stew. You can also throw in a few potatoes. They add heartiness and soak in / thicken the cooking liquid.

    Back in September when I visited Romania my grandmother made fasole cu cârnaţi afumaţi. The sausages she used were from their own pig that my family had slaughtered for the holiday season last December. They had stuffed and smoked the sausages themselves. It was a really special treat and although I had so many amazing and nostalgic tastes to choose from, I kept returning to mamaia's bean stew.

    As a child my grandmother lived through a years long drought and famine that instilled in her a lifelong devotion to thrift. In the photo above, taken the day before the annual grape harvest, she’s using a beeswax candle to seal off the frayed edges of a large sac that would be used for the second or third time to collect grapes from our small family vineyard. She’s smiling as she tells us a joke or bit of some village gossip.
    This smoky Romanian Bean Stew tastes like home and comfort. It calls for just a few basic ingredients, it’s versatile so you can use what you have, and it only needs about 5-10 minutes of prep time.

    As a child my grandmother lived through a years long drought and famine that instilled in her a lifelong devotion to thrift. In the photo above, taken the day before the annual grape harvest, she's using a beeswax candle to seal off the frayed edges of a large sac that would be used for the second or third time to collect grapes from our small family vineyard. She's smiling as she tells us a joke or some bit of village gossip.

    Mamaia and I have an oddly meaningful connection around beans. She loves to recount when I was a child visiting from Canada and in my jetlag addled hunger, would request food at bedtime - when she asked me what I wanted I would always say fasole! Because I knew how long it took to cook dry beans and didn't want to go to bed. I thought I was very clever.

    The day before I left Romania this past September I happened to find a lima bean in the sink drain that had sprouted. I was so impressed it had survived in such inhospitable conditions. Life finds a way.

    I took the bean out to mamaia excitedly and what she did next was so illustrative of her spirit and the spirit that runs through so many rural people in Romania - she told me to put it in a pot under a few centimeters of soil and water it.

    Maybe it's not a big deal but for someone like me who's lived in cities their whole life, what's a lost bean? I don't know about you but the number of beans I've dropped in the drain and didn't think twice about is high. It's so easy to forget how precious even a single bean can be.

    A few weeks ago back in my own kitchen in Amsterdam, I found a chickpea in my kitchen sink stopper and wouldn't you know it, it was sprouted. So you know what I did? I planted it.

    Recipe

    This smoky Romanian Bean Stew tastes like home and comfort. It calls for just a few basic ingredients, it’s versatile so you can use what you have, and it only needs about 5-10 minutes of prep time.

    Smoky Romanian Bean Stew

    This smoky Romanian Bean Stew tastes like home and comfort. It calls for just a few basic ingredients, it's versatile so you can use what you have, and it only needs about 5-10 minutes of prep time.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Stovetop
    Cuisine: Stovetop
    Keyword: Stovetop
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 265kcal

    Ingredients

    • 2.5 cups white beans presoaked dry beans or substitute 3 small cans
    • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    • 2 yellow onions finely diced
    • 2 red peppers finely diced
    • 1 cup smoked sausage or substitute other smoked meat of your choice
    • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
    • 1 tablespoon cimbru summer savoury or substitute thyme
    • 1.5 teaspoons salt plus or minus to taste
    • ⅖ liters water or enough to cover
    • 2 tablespoons fresh dill and parsley finely diced and used for garnish

    Instructions

    • Soak the beans overnight if using dry.
    • Finely dice the onion and dice the peppers.
    • Cut your smoked meat into bite-sized pieces.
    • Saute the onion and meat in oil on medium-high heat first until beginning to brown.
    • Add everything else and enough water to just cover the beans.
    • Bring to a boil and then reduce to gentle simmer for 40 minutes.
    • Cover with a lid if using dry beans / don't cover if using canned.
    • After 40 minutes uncover and continue to simmer until reduced to your liking.
    • Garnish with fresh chopped dill or parsley. Serve with crusty bread.

    Notes

    * Substitute ½ tablespoon thyme, ½ teaspoon oregano and a ¼ teaspoon fenugreek (if you have it).
    This stew is also excellent with potatoes - cut two large potatoes into bite sized pieces and add them along with everything else.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 912mg | Potassium: 680mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1954IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 5mg

    More Soup & Stew Recipes

    • Cabbage Roll Soup with Rice Meatballs
    • Slow cooked smoked ham hock being shredded off the bone with forks on top of slow cooked beans.
      Slow Cooked Pork & Beans with Smoked Ham Hock
    • Romanian sour meatball soup served with spicy hot peppers.
      Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorbă de Perisoare)
    • Romanian Green Pea Stew (Mancare de Mazare)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. ole

      January 21, 2021 at 11:28 am

      i love the story about your mamaia, so endearing. In my family we didn't eat beans as often, mostly potatoes, but my husband ate lots of beans and he loves bean stew so much it became an in-house joke: " what do you want for dinner? fasole cu carnati!) Every GOD DAMN TIME!, i kid you not. At first i made it, then i said haha, good joke, then i became annoyed and then i just didn't ask anymore, just cooked whatever i felt like. But the man seriously could eat this everyday and not get bored with it. 💁 Add some homemade pickled tomatoes and a glass of wine and he's a happy guy...

      Reply
      • Cristina

        January 21, 2021 at 11:41 am

        hahaha this is such a great story and I can totally relate to your husband's level of devotion to fasole 😂👌😝 also the homemade pickled green tomatoes speak to my soul! I actually picked a bunch from mamaia's garden when I was leaving in September and pickled them when I got home. Have a couple jars in the fridge and they're such a nice treat with winter stews. Mmmmm. I think I know what I'm eating tonight haha

        Reply
    2. Ami joon

      April 30, 2022 at 5:54 am

      My mom’s father was from Arad, Transylvania. She lost him when she was five. She still cries missing her dad (she’s 73) so I’ve been watching foodies travel Romania and saw this soup. I’m going to cook it for my mom for Mother’s Day thanks to your wonderful recipe!!! I’m going to share it with all of my friends!!! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful dish!!! And Loooove your story!!!

      Reply
      • Cristina

        August 23, 2022 at 6:33 pm

        Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and I'm so honored this recipe resonates with you and your family history <3

        Reply
    3. MC

      May 28, 2023 at 3:55 am

      Just made this for my 14 month old boy yesterday. He loved it! I was born in Romania and moved to the U.S. as a refugee when I was a kid. My mom didn’t show us how to cook many things but I’m visiting my father in Hungary now and happy to try out recipes that I remember growing up. Delicious! Multumesc mult!

      Reply
      • Cristina

        June 08, 2023 at 9:33 am

        Wow, this is so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me Mirona. These types of comments are the best part about food blogging. I'm really honoured that this recipe resonates with you and your history, which is so similar to my own. And of course (most importantly!) so happy your little boy enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cristina. I love making and sharing delicious, feel-good food inspired by my Romanian heritage and the close culinary traditions of the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Sometimes I also share recipes from the places I've lived: Canada, the USA, and now the Netherlands.

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