Creamy Beans with Leeks and Parmesan
Time: 30 mins-1.5 hrs | Difficulty: 2/5 | Yield: One big serving, or two smaller servings!
What’s better than a big pot of creamy beans? Maybe when those beans also have some leeks and a whole heap of parm to go with them?? Enter, this bowl of beans. It all comes together in one big pot, so as all of the flavors layer on top of each other, you’ll create a deeply flavorful, warming dish. I’ve adapted this from a recipe by Ali Slagle, which I also highly recommend—I’ve taken her technique of adding garlic, then beans, then milk, then cheese, and created my own twist! You can make this with either dried beans, or canned beans—if you’re using canned, you can skip a couple of the steps below. If using dried beans, make sure to really let them simmer for a long time—at least an hour—to ensure they’ll be nice and soft to eat. You can add anything you want to the beans as they’re simmering! I like to add a dollop of Better Than Bouillon, for a big punch of umami that carries through the rest of the dish.
Ingredients/Tools:
1/2 cup of dried white or cranberry beans (or 1 can of white beans, drained)
1/2 cup of leeks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Milk
Shredded parmesan
Salt, pepper, chili flakes
Butter
Wine
Better Than Bouillon (optional)
Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
Method:
Prepare the beans: Pour the dried beans into your pot, and cover with about a cup of water. Salt the water. Turn on the heat and bring it to a boil. (If using canned beans, you can skip to step 5.)
Once the water has started boiling, add about a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon.
As the beans are cooking, the water will both evaporate and become absorbed by the beans. Check the pot every 15 minutes or so, and add water whenever the liquid level looks too low.
The beans will be done cooking when they can be pressed down easily with a spoon, after about an hour. Tip them and any leftover liquid into a bowl and set aside.
In the same pot, heat about a tablespoon of butter. Add the leeks, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
When the leeks are just starting to soften, add the garlic.
When the garlic and leeks are lightly caramelized, add in your beans, and stir to combine everything.
Add a splash of wine to de-glaze the pan (this will be especially important if you cooked your dried beans in this pot). Let the wine sizzle, and scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any caramelized, browned bits. Add another small pinch of salt and pepper.
Add about a cup of milk, and a touch more salt and pepper. (There should be enough milk to just cover the beans.) Stir it all to combine, and bring the milk to a light simmer.
Continue stirring at a simmer, until the milk has taken on a lot of that bean starch, and thickened to your liking. When you’ve achieved that, turn off the heat. Once the milk has stopped all its bubbling, add the parmesan (about half a cup) and stir well to combine.
Serve with some bread and some shavings of parmesan on top!