Italian stews are called spezzatini because the meat is cut into pieces; spezzare means “to cut up” or “break up.” This is the prototypical one-pot meal: Throw all the ingredients into a pot, and you have a great dinner.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 main-course servings

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 celery stalks, cut into bite-size pieces

　　1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

　　1 small onion, chopped

　　1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

　　1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

　　1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juices

　　1 (14-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth

　　1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

　　1 tablespoon tomato paste

　　1 bay leaf

　　1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

　　2 chicken breasts with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

　　1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)

　　

Step 1

In a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the celery, carrot, and onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken and press to submerge. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, turning the breasts over and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is almost cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add the kidney beans and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced to a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Discard the bay leaf. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes. Discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Return it to the stew and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.