Turkish White Bean Stew with Spicy Sucuk: One-Pot Comfort

Turkey's ultimate comfort dish, kuru fasulye, gets a bold upgrade with spicy garlic sucuk sausage. White beans are slow-simmered in a rich tomato and pepper paste sauce until they are melt-in-your-mouth tender, while crispy sucuk coins infuse every spoonful with smoky, garlicky depth.

Ladled over buttery rice and finished with a bite of crunchy pickled pepper, this one-pot meal is the kind of hearty, soul-warming dinner that makes weeknights feel special. The sauce turns velvety and ruby-red, clinging to each bean.

This Turkish white bean stew, known as kuru fasulye, is a beloved staple across Turkey—often called the country's national dish. Here, it is enriched with sucuk, a spicy garlicky beef sausage that sizzles in butter and releases a fragrant paprika-red oil.

That oil becomes the foundation for the sauce, carrying deep flavor into every bean. The stew simmers low and slow until the beans are buttery soft and the sauce thickens into a rich, velvety glaze. Serve it over buttery rice with pickled peppers on the side for a meal that is both comforting and exciting.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The method starts by searing the sucuk in butter, which does double duty: it crisps the sausage coins for texture and infuses the cooking fat with spicy, garlicky, paprika-laced oil.

That oil is then used to sauté the onion and bloom the tomato and pepper pastes, building a deeply savory base that would be impossible to achieve by adding the sausage later. Every ingredient that follows picks up that flavor, so the entire stew tastes of sucuk, not just the visible pieces.

Slow-simmering the soaked beans in the seasoned broth allows them to absorb the sauce from within while the liquid reduces and thickens around them. The gentle heat breaks down the beans' starches, creating a naturally creamy, velvety texture without any dairy.

The tomato and pepper pastes caramelize slightly during the long cook, deepening their sweetness and color. The result is a stew that is greater than the sum of its parts—rich, complex, and satisfyingly hearty.

Notes and substitutions

Turkish white beans, called dermason fasulye, are small, creamy beans that hold their shape well during braising. Cannellini or great northern beans are excellent substitutes. Soaking the beans overnight is essential—it shortens the cooking time and helps them cook evenly. If you are short on time, a quick soak (boiling for 2 minutes, then resting for 1 hour) can work, but the texture will be slightly less creamy.

Sucuk is a dry-cured, spicy beef sausage with a distinct garlicky flavor. It is available at Middle Eastern grocers or online. If you cannot find it, use a spicy beef kielbasa or a smoked paprika-spiced sausage. Biber salçası, a Turkish red pepper paste, adds a sweet-heat depth that is hard to replicate; a mix of tomato paste and smoked paprika can stand in. Pickled peppers, or turşu, are the classic tangy garnish—use pickled jalapeños or pepperoncini if needed.

• Turkish white beans (dermason fasulye): cannellini or great northern beans (soaked overnight)
• spicy sucuk sausage: spicy beef kielbasa or a smoked paprika-spiced beef sausage
• biber salçası (pepper paste): 1 tbsp tomato paste plus 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne
• pickled peppers (turşu): pickled jalapeños or pepperoncini

Equipment

• Heavy clay pot or Dutch oven
• Wooden spoon
• Chef's knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Ladle