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One-Pot Brothy Beans with Herbs & Lemon

4.97 from 65 reader reviews
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Soaking Time 8 hours
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6 -8
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb white beans, soaked overnight with water to cover and 1 tablespoon of salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered (keep the root intact)
  • 2 shallots, peeled and quartered (keep the root intact)
  • 1 stick celery, chopped into 3-4 big pieces
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon oregano leaves, minced
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground chillies or chili flakes
  • 6-12 cups vegetable stock (see notes)
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ tablespoons light miso
  • lemon juice, to taste (I like 1-2 tablespoons)
  • handful of fresh dill or parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • I soak my beans overnight in lots of warm water with 1 tablespoon of salt dissolved in there! I learned this trick from Serious Eats. When you’re ready to cook the beans, drain and rinse them. Set aside.
  • Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, pour in the oil and swirl it around. Place the quartered onions, shallots, and celery pieces into the pot. Let them brown lightly on one side and then stir/flip the pieces over. Keep cooking until all sides have a bit of a golden edge. This process should take about 10 minutes.
  • Add the bay leaf, garlic, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and chillies. Stir and sauté until very aromatic, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the drained beans and stir. Then, add 6 cups of vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper (being mindful of the salty miso we'll add at the end) and stir. Place the lid on top, slightly askew to vent a bit. Bring the beans to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer the beans for about 1 ½ hours, checking in on them every 30 minutes or so. If the level of vegetable stock is getting low, just add more by the cup. Once your beans are super tender and silky, they’re good to go. I like to taste 3-5 beans just to make sure that the whole batch is good. The batch I cooked here simmered for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  • Fish out the big pieces of celery, bay leaf, and as much of the onion/shallots as you like (I leave most of them).
  • In a liquid measuring cup, combine the miso and a couple ladlefuls of the hot stock from the pot. Give the mixture a whisk to dissolve the miso and then pour that mixture into the pot. Stir. Check the beans for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add lemon juice to taste and stir. Garnish the beans with the chopped dill/parsley.
  • Serve the brothy beans hot with crusty bread and extra black pepper on top.

Recipe Notes

  • I wound up using 12 cups of broth total for my pot of beans. This will vary depending on which beans you’re using, how long you soaked them, how old they are etc. I know that’s not super precise, but that’s just how beans are sometimes haha.
  • I fish out the celery, bay leaf, and some of the bigger bits of onion at the end. But aside from that, I leave most of the onions in the pot because I like them. Of course, if you have the patience and strictly want to enjoy beans and broth, you can retrieve all of the bits.
  • You can use dried herbs instead of fresh–just substitute 1 ½ teaspoons for both thyme and oregano.
These one-pot vegan brothy beans are super flavourful with herbs, lemon, garlic, and umami-rich miso paste added at the end. A deeply savory pot of beans awaits after 1 ½ hours of mostly inactive simmering time.