A big pot of Smoky White Beans

1 recipe to carry you through the week. Soup, Pasta, Baby Food…

Beans are a touchy subject in my house. I absolutely love them. My husband is a hard “No”. He will eat refried beans, but not in their whole form. So I don’t get to cook them that much. But this week, I decided to be selfish because I got a box of beans delivered from Rancho Gordo and the snow has me feeling COZY. And guess what? I think we have a convert!!! He was grunting and fist pumping upon first bite of these beans! What I think is the magic of a big pot of beans is the versatility as the days go on. They can be turned into many different meals. And the bébé (in Moira Rose’s voice) LOVES them! 

When I make a big pot of beans I have a bit of a formula. Any bean + chunks of some cut of pork + onions or garlic. Here are two combos that I love:

1. White Beans + chunks of Smoked Bacon + Onion

2. Chickpeas + chunks of Pork Belly + Garlic

So here’s what I suggest... Make a big pot of beans and follow this dinner map all week long:

1. Day 1: Big glug of olive oil + herbs + toasted sourdough (maybe a 6 minute egg?)

2. Pureed for the Mini Mouths

3. Day 2: Stir in cooked pasta + handfuls of baby spinach + parm

4. Mashed up beans + pastina for the Mini Mouths

5. On the last day, heat a pan with olive oil and cook some minced garlic + chili flakes. Add in the last of the beans and mash them a little bit + parsley + lemon zest. Serve with a piece of steak or chicken.

6. To take it even further: put them in a food processor with lemon juice, herbs, some garlic, and tahini for a smooth white bean dip. Yum! 

Smoky White Beans & Bacon 

Makes a big a$$ pot of beans

To soak or not to soak: I don’t know the answer. I do it both ways and I think it’s fine. When I soak them, they take less time to cook. If you have the time, soak them.

• 1 (1.5” thick) piece of bacon (see notes on how/where to buy), cut into chunks

• 1 lbs dried white beans (lima, cannellini, great northern, flageolet.. )

• 1 onion, chopped

• a few garlic cloves

• Salt 

  1. Soak your beans in plenty of water overnight- or don’t! Up to you. 

  2. Place your bacon in a large dutch oven and heat over medium. Cook the bacon, tossing often, until some of the fat has rendered out and it’s starting to get crispy. Add the onion, garlic and the beans (soaking water is fine to add). Season with a few large pinches of salt and Add enough water to cover the beans by about an inch. Bring them to a boil then reduce to a simmer. And I mean SIMMER! If they are boiling, they’ll cook but not hold their shape. You should barely see the water moving.

  3. Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for anywhere between 1 hour - 2 hours depending on the shape, size or age of beans. Start checking them at 40 minutes. They should be creamy on the inside. If too much water evaporates, just add more. 

Notes: 

Bacon: If you want a big 1.5” thick slice, you’ll need to get that at the butcher. You can use regular packaged thick cut bacon, but I really like how the big chunks melt in your mouth after they cook with the beans. If you have access to a butcher, you can also use a 1.5” thick piece of pork belly. The flavor will be less smoky and more “porky”, equally delicious. 

What I’m loving right now:

1. Serenity Kids: This brand makes baby food pouches that I’ve been buying for a while for Dean. I like them because the ingredients are really basic and they use extra virgin olive oil.  And they just came out with grain free (most importantly rice free) puffs. The timing was almost eerily in sync with an article that NYtimes published 2 weeks ago about alarmingly high levels of arsenic in the rice used in baby foods (among other ingredients). Those Happy Baby Puffs that I and everyone uses to get 10 minutes of quiet time are mostly rice and were mentioned in the article. So out with the old puffs in with the new for us. When I read that article, for me personally, it just reaffirmed my ethos that homemade food is the best food- not only for Dean but for all of us. But I don’t know, or have the desire to know, how to make these puffs, so Serenity Kids Puff it is. 

2. Melissa Wood Health: I am pretty late to this party, but my hope is maybe you’re even later! This workout app is definitely the “cool” workout of the past year or two. Melissa herself is a tall, slender, gorgeous ex model who leads you in yoga/pilates style workouts that range from 10 minutes - 50 minutes. Her influencer status alone was what made me really resistant in the beginning, but around Thanksgiving I caved and downloaded her app. Wow, was I wrong to judge! The workouts are amazing and challenging yet low impact and somehow keep me coming back for more. I give her workouts, plus cutting out alcohol since Christmas, credit for helping me shed some of lingering jiggly-ness leftover from having Dean. It’s $9 a month and I highly recommend it. 

3. Mornings: yep! They’re free! I’ve always been a morning person (I can hear the eye rolls from some of you) but recently Dean has been sleeping a little later so I’m getting more of my favorite time of the day. Just a shout out to what I call the “God space”. A coffee, it’s still dark, everyone is sleeping, I’m sitting on the floor, maybe a candle, no phone. When I’m lucky enough to get it, I use this time to meditate and pray. Simple stuff like “thank you for my beautiful family, how would you use me to spread kindness today?.” Maybe someone needs to read this to inspire them to re-ignite their morning practice.

This week, the recipe for subscribers also features beans! It’s a Breakfast For Dinner Taco that has become my GO TO for that moment of staring into the fridge after a long day thinking, “what can I make for dinner?” These ingredients are things you probably already have around. There’s also a side recipe for Quick Pickled Jalapeños that you’re going to LOVE. If you’d like to have this taco recipe land right in your inbox, click the button below to subscribe. It’s $5 a month or $40 a year, or as  I like to say, 1 latte a month or 1 cookbook a year :) 

Sending everyone good vibes in the kitchen this week and as always drop me a line in the comments XO Liv