Brothy Beans

This is a pretty simple dish to prepare but it does require a longer cooking time to transform the dried beans into delicious silky creamy beans, so keep that in mind!
1. Cook the bacon. In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon on medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon and transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat.
2. Sear the onions and garlic. Place the onions and garlic cut-side down in the residual bacon fat. Sear them until deeply golden and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Cook the remaining ingredients. Along with the garlic and onions in the pot, add the dry beans, parmesan rind, herbs, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ - 2 hours until the beans are your desired tenderness. Stir occasionally. Cooking time will vary depending on the bean used.
4. Add lemon juice and serve. Once the beans are done cooking, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Add salt and black pepper to taste (I added roughly 2 teaspoon of kosher salt). Ladle into large bowls and serve with the leftover crispy bacon, crusty bread, and a drizzle of good olive oil.
When serving, you can completely discard or simply avoid the large pieces of onion, or you can serve them into the bowls, it’s personal preference! I added them to my bowls because I love onions.
TIPS AND TRICKS
Leave all the bacon fat in the pot after you’ve cooked it, that’s pure flavor that will be used to caramelize the onions and garlic!
Leave the skins of the garlic and onion on, they’ll add more flavor. Just discard before serving or scoop around them. They’re pretty easy to spot. The garlic cloves will basically melt into the broth as it cooks, so you’re just left with the “shell” which you should also discard.
If you’re really adverse to this you can remove the skins. For the garlic just keep the cloves whole.
Wrap the herbs with kitchen twine if you want to make sure you get all of the stems out.
Add some greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc.!) to the broth the last few minutes to wilt for extra nutrients.
Make sure your dry beans aren’t expired. I know beans are one of those ingredients we (me) thought never expired, but they do! And if they are expired they’ll never cook to be tender.
To test beans for doneness, try a few! They should be very tender but still a little firm. They should not be falling apart or disintegrating.
Make it spicy by adding a Calabrian chili into the broth
WHAT TO DO WITH THE COOKED BEANS
My first choice is to scoop the beans with the broth into a bowl and dig into all of its coziness. But if youdon’t want the broth and just want the cooked beans, there are tons of ways to use them (although, the broth is amazing so you should keep it).
Make into a veggie burger
Serve over toasted bread
Put into a wrap
Make a bean salad
Blend them into a creamy soup with the broth, garlic, onion, and herbs
Blend them without the broth plus a bit of olive oil into a delicious dip
Serve with some seared white fish and more fresh herbs
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
Add everything except the bacon into the slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours until the beans are tender. Cook the bacon separately and use as a garnish. Alternatively, you can cook the bacon separately then add it to the slow cooker with everything else to allow the bacon flavor to infuse with everything else.
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS
Follow the same instructions but use the sauté function on medium heat for the first two steps. Then add everything in as written in step 3 and select the beans/chili setting (high pressure for 30-40 minutes). Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then release the remaining (if any is left) manually. Squeeze in the lemon juice and serve.
STORAGE AND REHEATING
These beans store SO well they are equally as delicious and comforting after being reheated.
To store: let the beans and broth cool a bit. Discard the shells of the onions and garlic, and any big herb stems you can find. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat: warm in the microwave for a few minutes or put it back on the stovetop and heat it gently until warmed through.
To freeze: cool to room temperature, pour just the beans and broth into an airtight freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat on the stovetop over gentle heat until warmed through. I like to freeze into single servings!
Can I leave out the bacon?
Yes, to make this vegetarian leave out the bacon and make sure you’re using vegetarian parmesan. Instead, sear the garlic and onions in a mixture of olive oil and butter.
How can I make this dairy free?
Leave out the parmesan rind.
Can I use canned beans?
You can, but you still need to develop the flavor of the broth. So let that simmer for at least 1 hour, then add the canned beans and continue with the recipe.
In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon on medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon and transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat.
Place the onions and garlic cut-side down in the residual bacon fat. Sear them until deeply golden and caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Along with the garlic and onions in the pot, add the dry beans, parmesan rind, herbs, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ - 2 hours until the beans are your desired tenderness. Stir occasionally. Cooking time will vary depending on the bean used.
Once the beans are done cooking, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon. Add salt and black pepper to taste (I added roughly 2 teaspoon of kosher salt). Ladle into large bowls and serve with the leftover crispy bacon, crusty bread, and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Brothy Beans

Ingredients

Instructions