Brothy White Beans
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Earthy and nutty white beans are simmered until tender with aromatics and herbs and finished with Parmesan cheese. I use dried beans as the base of this dish but you can easily use canned beans using my instructions below to cut prep time to about 30-minutes. Cooking dried beans requires more planning and time, but I love the flavor that develops over time. Serve with a simple green salad and plenty of toasted crusty bread.
I love making a big pot of beans to start the week. The possibilities are endless. Start with this saucy bean dish and serve leftovers over pasta, with eggs and toast for breakfast, or add additional vegetables for a hearty stew.
Brothy White Beans
Table of contents
Why Soak Beans?
Soaking beans in a bowl of water overnight helps to shave time off the cooking time. But here’s the thing – I don’t soak my beans. I can never remember to do it ahead of time, and I don’t find the hour or two it cuts off the cook time to justify the extra work and foresight. I do, however, give my beans a rinse before cooking them.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Beans – Cannellini beans, also known as white navy beans, have a smooth and creamy finish with a nutty and earthy flavor. They’re frequently used in Italian recipes and can be used interchangeably with great northern beans. Cannellini beans will hold their shape better when cooked.
- Onion – As the beans simmer the onion basically melts into the sauce.
- Garlic – Sliced garlic adds depth of flavor to the broth.
- Vegetable broth – Vegetable broth is typically made from a base of carrots, celery and onion and can include additional ingredients to flavor it. While store bought broth works well, vegetable broth is easy to make from leftover kitchen scraps.
- Parmesan – I add Parmesan just before finishing the dish to create a rich and creamy broth (without actually adding cream). This is also a great opportunity to use up leftover Parmesan rinds. I always freeze leftover rinds to add body to stocks, stews or beans like this.
- Rosemary – Sprigs of rosemary infuse the beans with flavor as they simmer. Remove the stems before serving.
- Crushed red pepper – Crushed red pepper or red pepper flakes are made from crushed (not ground) dried peppers like cayenne or ancho. While they are most often made from cayenne peppers they can be made up of a blend. They add just a touch of heat to the beans more for flavor rather than spice.
How to Make Brothy White Beans
Step 1: Soak the beans.
Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight then pick through the beans and drain.
Step 2: Sauté aromatics.
Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients.
Add the beans, rosemary, crushed red pepper, Parmesan rind, vegetable broth and 4 cups (946g) of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat, then lower heat to medium-low and cover.
Step 4: Simmer beans.
Simmer until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered by about ½” (1.3cm) of liquid. When the beans are tender, remove the stems from the rosemary, then remove the Parmesan rind and discard both. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Serve.
Ladle into serving bowls topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
How to Use Canned Beans
Using canned beans in place of dried will shave considerable time off making this recipe. I recommend substituting 2 (15.5 ounce/ 239g) cans of cannellini or great northern beans. Make sure you drain and rinse them, draining once more before adding to the recipe. Cut the amount of vegetable broth in half and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Swaps and substitutions
- Feel free to add any of your favorite hearty greens like kale or chard.
- The extra-virgin olive oil can be substituted with lard or by sautéing slab bacon and rendering the fat.
- The vegetable broth can be substituted for chicken broth or water if needed,
How to Freeze Beans
The beans can be frozen and used as needed. I recommend portioning the beans out into individual servings and store in resealable bags. I always write what the food is and the date they were made on the freezer bags.
Ideas for leftovers
- Pasta. Serve the beans reheated as a hearty pasta with your favorite shape, sautéed bacon and plenty more Parmesan for a take on pasta alla gricia.
- Stew. Sauté some additional vegetables like carrots, celery and leeks and add 4 cups of vegetable broth to turn this into a heartier stew.
- Rice. It’s no secret I love a rice bowl! Serve leftovers ladled over a bed of crispy rice and arugula. Top with avocado and chili crunch for an easy lunch.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this white beans recipe, give these a try and follow me on Instagram for more updates:
Brothy White Beans
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried white beans (cannellini or great northern beans), picked through
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Parmesan rind
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
- Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight then pick through the beans and drain.
- Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the onion and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, about an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the beans, rosemary, crushed red pepper, Parmesan rind, vegetable broth and 4 cups (946g) of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat, then lower heat to medium-low and cover.
- Simmer until the beans are tender, about 3 hours. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered by about ½” (1.3cm) of liquid. When the beans are tender, remove the stems from the rosemary, then remove the Parmesan rind and discard both. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into serving bowls topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
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This has all the qualifications for a comfort food dish. The sautéed onions and pamesan cheese create a delicious hat tip to French onion soup. A very satisfying Autumn bowl that can be stand alone with veggies added! Thanks for another ecellent recipe, Kylie!
I’m so happy to hear it Michele! Thank you so much for sharing!
Is this just 4 cups of vegetable broth or an additional 4 cups of water?
4 cups of water in addition to the vegetable broth