A pot of bacon- and herb-flecked beans is a lovely thing to make and serve once the holidays have ended. It’s simple, comforting, and, while definitely not diet food, is a lighter antidote to all of the feasting of the last month. And if you turn to canned beans for the base of the recipe, it won’t take much time at all.
I like to use a couple of cans of cannellini beans for this recipe, any creamy, soft bean will suffice. Red beans are fine, as are black, but I wouldn’t use chickpeas since they won’t turn creamy no matter how long they cook. To bolster the flavor of the beans, I first brown a few slices of thick-cut bacon. Since bacon is the primary flavor-enhancer of the dish, it’s best to pick out the best bacon you can find. I always use dry-cured bacon with a minimal ingredient list. Bacon cured with water shrinks and splatters, leaving little meat behind, while too many additional seasonings will overpower the flavor of the beans themselves.
Once the bacon is rendered, I stir in a few cloves of garlic and chopped fresh sage to sizzle and fry in the hot fat. This step will infuse the fat with the garlic and herb flavors, which will then make its way into the beans themselves.
For the creamiest beans, add all of the bean canning liquid, along with the beans themselves, to the pot. The starch in the canning liquid goes a long way to creating a silky final texture. Depending on your brand of beans, you may also need to add a bit of water. It’s best to keep an eye on the consistency as the beans simmer and add additional liquid if they start to stick to the pot.
Creamy Beans with Herbs
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