In this Beans and Chorizo recipe, spicy chorizo sausage, creamy white beans, and fresh spinach are simmered in a smoky tomato sauce and served over buttery mashed potatoes for a hearty, comforting meal. This easy one-pan dinner is bursting with bold flavors and is perfect for a cozy night at home.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a one-pan meal. I don't know about your house, but my wife is always happy when I use fewer dishes.
- It's simple comfort food. It's a thick stew with lots of flavor served over mashed potatoes.
- You can serve it in several ways. Want it as a soup? Just add more broth. Want to serve it with something other than mashed potatoes? Try polenta, rice, mashed sweet potatoes, or any other starch of your choosing.
For more sausage-based dishes, go check out my recipes for Roasted Pumpkin Pasta with Sage, Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding, and Chile Relleno Casserole.
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🫘 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make these beans and chorizo with spinach.
Key Ingredients
- Chorizo: This recipe uses raw chorizo sausage, not the cured Spanish chorizo. You'll need four links or about 14 ounces of sausage.
- Potatoes: You'll need two pounds of potatoes to make mashed potatoes that will serve as the base for the beans and chorizo. I like Yukon Gold potatoes because they're creamy without being too starchy. That said, any potato can be mashed and work in this recipe.
- Beans: For this recipe, I like to use a creamy white bean, like Great Northern beans. You can also use canned beans or cooked dry beans. I use canned beans to keep this a quick meal that doesn't require much planning. You can use virtually any bean in this recipe, so feel free to use what's convenient.
- Spinach: I prefer to use fresh spinach and briefly wilt it down into the stew so it still has a slight texture. However, you can certainly use frozen spinach. Add it to the pan frozen-no need to defrost-and cook long enough to heat through.
- Crushed tomatoes: The sauce component of the stew is made with a large can of crushed tomatoes, commonly 28 ounces or just under four cups.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🍚 Substitutions & Variations
- Soupier: To make this recipe more of a soup than a thick stew, use 3-4 cups of broth instead of ½ cup and skip the mashed potatoes.
- Other starches: If you want to serve the beans and chorizo over something other than mashed potatoes, try rice, couscous, mashed sweet potatoes, or polenta.
- Other sausage: Try this dish with any other sausage you enjoy.
- Swiss chard: Try using roughly chopped Swiss chard in place of spinach. It may just take a couple of extra minutes to wilt.
- Crumbled chorizo: If you'd rather have ground chorizo in the stew instead of sliced, remove the casings
🔪 Instructions
Here's how to make beans and chorizo. See the recipe card below for the complete recipe.
- Step 1: Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces. Peel and chop the carrot and onion, chop the bell pepper and parsley, and mince the garlic.
- Step 2: Slice the chorizo into pieces.
- Step 3: Add the potatoes to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15-17 minutes.
- Step 4: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the chorizo and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, but leave the fat behind in the pan.
- Step 5: Add the onion, carrot, and pepper and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika and cook another minute.
- Step 6: Pour in the vinegar and scrape up anything stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Step 7: Add the chorizo back to the pan.
- Step 8: Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, and beans. Simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened.
- Step 9: Stir in the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted and incorporated.
- Step 10: Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt. Divide the potatoes among your plates and ladle over the chorizo and bean stew. Top with chopped parsley and serve.
✨ Helpful Tips
- Be sure to use raw chorizo sausage for this recipe, often referred to as Mexican chorizo, and not cured Spanish chorizo.
- If the pan gets too dry when sauteeing the vegetables, just add a little water to loosen things up.
- Despite chorizo being a little spicy, the final dish is relatively mild, so don't let that stop you from giving this recipe a try.
🥡 Storage
Store the mashed potatoes and the stew in separate air-tight containers for up to four days. The stew may be frozen for up to two months, but I don't recommend freezing the mashed potatoes.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
Serve chorizo with foods that can offset and balance the rich and somewhat fatty quality of chorizo. Beans, greens, starches like potatoes and polenta.
Creamy, starchy beans like great northern and white kidney beans go well with chorizo, as well as chick peas with their nutty flavor that balances chorizo well. Black beans are also common with chorizo in Latin American cooking and go great together in tacos or bowls.
Yes. Chorizo, usually a bit spicy, can make a good addition to baked beans, which tend to be sweet. Chrozio helps to tame the sweetness and add some extra flavor.
🍞 Pairing
These recipes would go well with beans and chorizo:
📖 Recipe
Beans and Chorizo with Spinach
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
Description
In this beans and chorizo recipe, spicy chorizo sausage, creamy white beans, and fresh spinach are simmered in a smoky tomato sauce and served over buttery mashed potatoes for a hearty, comforting meal.
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes:
- 2 pounds potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the chorizo and beans:
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-4 inch links of chorizo, raw (about 14 ounces)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 3-4 cups fresh spinach (about 3 big handfuls)
Instructions
1. Prepare the ingredients. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks. Peel and chop the onion and carrot. Core and dice the bell pepper. Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Roughly chop about 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley. Slice the chorizo into rounds. Set everything aside in prep bowls or on a cutting board.
2. Start the mashed potatoes. Place the chopped potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 15-17 minutes, while you make the beans and chorizo. When done, drain and return the potatoes to the pot.
3. Cook the chorizo. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Transfer the chorizo to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
4. Cook the vegetables. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and carrot. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. If the pan dries out at any point add a splash or two of water. Stir in the minced garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon black pepper, and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant.
5. Assemble the stew. Add the 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar to the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Return the chorizo to the pan. Add the bay leaf, the crushed tomatoes, ½ cup broth, and the drained beans. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
6. Cook. Simmer the mixture uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and the flavors meld. Stir in 3-4 cups of fresh spinach and cook for 2-3 more minutes, just until wilted. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
7. Finish the mashed potatoes. While the beans and chorizo cook, add 3 tablespoons butter, ½ cup milk, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher until smooth and creamy
8. Serve. Divide the mashed potatoes between plates or bowls. Spoon the chorizo and bean mixture over the top. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve warm.
Notes
Be sure to use raw chorizo sausage for this recipe, often called Mexican chorizo, and not cured Spanish chorizo.
If the pan gets too dry when sauteeing the vegetables, add a little water to loosen things up.
Despite chorizo being a little spicy, the final dish is relatively mild, so don't let that stop you from trying this recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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