A Perfect Pot of Beans

pot of brothy beans in a green saucepan on a wooden cutting board.

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Once you learn this method for turning dried beans into perfectly seasoned, creamy beans in a saucy broth, you'll never stop making them! Endlessly customizable, perfect for meal prep, and freezer friendly.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Soak Time8

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

1 pound (454g) dried beans, such as Great Northern beans (see Note 1)
Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Note 2)
1 to 2 teaspoons baking soda (optional, see Note 3)
2 tablespoons (28g) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
4 medium shallots (OR 1 medium yellow onion), chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
6 to 8 cups (1.5 to 2L) water
2 bay leaves + a few springs fresh thyme (or 1 large or 2 small rosemary or sage sprigs)
2 dried red chile peppers (adds a gentle heat, see Note 4)
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar or lemon juice (see Note 5)

Instructions

Spread the beans out on a large surface, discarding any pebbles or debris.
SOAK THE BEANS: Place beans in a large bowl with plenty of cool water, about 8 cups/2 L water. Add 1 ½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Note 2) and baking soda, if using.
Stir well, cover, and soak for 8 to 12 hours on the countertop. If soaking for longer than 12 hours, transfer to the fridge. If cooking small beans, you can soak for 4 to 6 hours.
Drain the beans and rinse well (see Note 6).
PREP FLAVORINGS: Use kitchen twine to tie together the bay leaves and thyme (or rosemary/sage sprig); if you don’t have twine, see Note 7.
Use scissors to snip open a slit in the dried chile peppers.
COOK AROMATICS: Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat with 2 tablespoons (28g) olive oil. Once warm, add the shallots and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until no longer raw and just starting to see some color, stirring frequently.
Pour in 6 cups (1.5 L) water, soaked beans, herb bundle, dried chiles, a generous amount of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
BOIL BEANS: Bring to a rapid boil (cover the pan to speed this up and to prevent evaporation). Once boiling, partially cover the pan and boil for 10 minutes.
SIMMER BEANS: Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered*, until the beans are tender. You want just small, occasional bubbles; you don't want constant simmering bubbles.
*NOTE: I simmer uncovered to concentrate the broth flavor, but the water may evaporate towards the end of cooking. If it does, top off with freshly boiled water to cover. If you won’t be in the kitchen to check the water level, simmer covered or partially covered instead.
CHECK BEANS FOR DONENESS: A medium-sized bean (e.g., great northern bean) that’s been soaked typically takes 40 to 50 minutes; larger beans typically take 1 hour or more.
The fresher the beans, the less time they need. The longer the beans have soaked, the less time they will need.
When testing for doneness, be sure to test at least 5 different beans because some beans may be done sooner before others.
TIP: If cooking beans longer than one hour, you may want to scoop out the bouquet garni so it doesn't overwhelm the flavors.
FINISHING: Once the beans are tender to your liking, turn off the heat and discard the chile peppers and bouquet garni.
Season with salt to taste. You’ll need to be pretty generous; I use at least 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt.
Stir in some good-quality olive oil (I recommend at least 1 tablespoon).
Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice.
Adjust the seasonings, adding more oil, salt, or acid until the beans taste perfect to you.
STORAGE: Store leftover beans with their liquid in the fridge for 5 days; or store in the freezer with their liquid for 3 to 6 months.
The oil from the beans will solidify while in the fridge after a few days, but it will melt back down when you reheat the beans.

Notes

The approximate cook times listed here are for medium-sized beans. If using smaller beans, check a bit earlier. If using larger beans, they typically need 1 hour at a minimum and can take up to 2 hours or even longer, depending on how long you've soaked them and how fresh they are.
If using table salt instead, use half the amount of salt listed in step 2 and step 5. If using sea salt (or Morton’s kosher salt), use a tad more than half the amounts listed.
Baking soda will soften the beans more quickly, so if you aren't using it, you may need to cook them a bit longer than listed. If using small beans or if you prefer your beans more al dente and firm, I’d skip the baking soda.
Or, sub with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of a mild chile flake, such as Aleppo pepper). Add after the garlic for 15-20 seconds, stirring frequently.
Or use any mild vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
I always drain the soaking water since it contains oligosaccharides, which can be difficult to digest for some. If you don't have trouble digesting beans, you can cook them in the soaking water.
You can also use the string from a tea bag to tie the herbs together, or you can put them in a reusable tea bag or piece of cheesecloth and stick that into the pot.

Nutrition