If I could choose one food that was underrated for me until I became and adult, it would be beans. Hands down. Now as an adult, there’s almost nothing more comforting and cozy than a warm pot of beans and they’re so extremely versatile in meal creation. These white beans with smoky bacon and fresh rosemary are brothy enough to be eaten as a soup, but my favorite is a shallow bowl of beans, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, and sopped up with toasted bread. It’s perfect comfort food, and an easy side or main dish. You can make them in a slow cooker as my photos show, or scroll down to the recipe card for pressure cooker instructions. White beans make excellent leftovers and will store in teh fridge all week, so you can enjoy them in a variety of ways!
Ingredient Notes
- Beans – We’re using dry Great Northern beans here. Make sure to spread out your beans and pick out any shriveled beans or organic debris from processing that shouldn’t be there.
- Bacon – This recipe will use 1/2 of a standard pack of bacon. I like to slice right through the package to cut the bacon in half, and then slice into small pieces as seen in the photo below.
- Rosemary – Using fresh rosemary is absolutely worth it here. It’s the main flavor element so fresh really is best. If that’s not an option for you, you could try 2 teaspoons dry rosemary, and you’d want to add it with the liquid at the start of the cooking process.
- Butter – Butter helps add a smooth finish to these beans.
- Vinegar – This recipe calls for red wine vinegar. If you’re in a pinch, use white, or apple cider, but avoid plain white vinegar.
Instructions
- Take your beans and rinse them, picking through them to remove any stones or yucky, shriveled beans. I like to soak my beans in cold water overnight to decrease cooking time. If you don’t think to soak your beans, that’s okay too, they’ll just cook for longer.
- When you’re ready to go, soaked beans or dry beans, you’ll start by chopping up some bacon.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and then add the bacon. Cook until crisp and then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set it aside.
- Reserve a couple of tablespoons of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Add some diced onion and cook until tender and fragrant. When the onion is almost done cooking, add some garlic and cook for a couple minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place the beans, some chicken broth, water, garlic, onion, and bacon in a slow cooker. Stir to combine and then cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours (high elevations may need longer) or low all day. Or you could also start it on high until it boils and then turn it down low. Or soak your beans first and cook them shorter. This could really be it’s very own post. But just cook them until the beans are tender.
- When the beans are tender, you’ll add the final touches for finishing flavor. These simple ingredients add so much to this finished dish. Red wine vinegar, chopped fresh rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.
Serving Suggestions
You can treat these beans like a soup and serve with Make-Ahead Garlic Bread, Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread, or a grilled cheese sandwich. They would also make a great side for roasted chicken or Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. Serve with a side salad or your favorite green veggie.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make these ahead of time? Great news! In my opinion, beans are even better when reheated the next day. Feel free to make these ahead of time and heat up as desired.
Did You Make This?
I’d love to hear from you! Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, then come back and give this recipe a rating!
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White Beans with Rosemary
- Total Time: 5-8 hours
- Yield: Serves 6-8
Description
These slow cooker beans are a hearty side or main dish. Smoky bacon and earthy rosemary give this comfort food it’s unique, homey flavor. Serve with grilled cheese, garlic bread, or as a side for roasted meats.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Great Northern or Canellini Beans, rinsed and picked through (for stones and yucky stuff)
- 8 ounces bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4–6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place beans in a strainer and pick through, removing any shriveled ones. Rinse with cool water and strain. Should you choose to soak your beans overnight to shorten cooking time, Rinse the night before and then place in a bowl of cool water, with water reaching 3-4 inches above beans. Strain beans the next day and proceed with recipe.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and discard (or save) the rest. Add the onions to the bacon drippings and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. When they’re almost done cooking, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- Place the beans, water, chicken broth, bacon, onions, and garlic in your slow cooker and cover. Cooking times may vary due to a variety of factors, but beans are very flexible!
Unsoaked Dry Beans: Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or low 9-10 hours.
Soaked Beans high 4-6 hours, or low 6-8 hours. - When done cooking, turn off heat and add the butter, vinegar, chopped rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Pressure Cooker Instructions
Turn your pressure cooker to the saute function to cook the bacon and onions as directed. Continue with recipe as written. With dry, unsoaked beans, cook at high pressure for 30-35 minutes (If you have soaked your beans, shoot for 20-25 minutes) and use a natural release for at least 20 minutes before letting out pressure. If beans need additional time, you can seal your pot again and cook for another 5-10 minutes. After pressure cooking is done, continue with recipe as written, adding vinegar, rosemary, and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Questions & Reviews
These are delicious! I have been making Tom Douglas beans forever. The addition of the vinegar is perfect! Pure comfort food!
Does this freeze well if you use canned gn beans?
My 11-year old told me she could eat this every night and although she is a huge beans and rice fan … it really is that good *and* that easy 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Made it tonight; LOVED it! My kids liked it, too. I used dried rosemary, because I couldn’t find any fresh, and the kids called it Pine Needle Soup. ha! Delicious anyway 🙂
These beans are AMAZING! The only thing I did differently is use fresh sage instead of rosemary because that’s what I had on hand. We all LOVED it, and my husband actually said that if he ordered this in a restaurant he would not be disappointed. Now, that’s sayng something! We had it with corn bread and honey butter. My husband and the kids saw this as more of a thick soup and it definitely passed for us as a main… it’s very filling. Oh, and I’m in Vegas. It was in the 70s here today. In DECEMBER for goodness sake! Blech…
I made this for dinner tonight, and I have to say……this is my favorite white bean recipe ever. Super yummy!!! I just love rosemary and my twin 4 yo boys gobbled it up! Thanks for a keeper!
Last week I happened to be at the grocery store checking out the Mexican aisle and was intrigued to find ham bouillion that the box suggested to use with beans or in soups. I bought it and was just waiting to try it out in something.
I made this recipe tonight with 2 packets (equivalent to 1/2 pound ham) of bouillion, and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It’s very possible that the recipe would’ve been equally amazing without it, but my daughter took 2 bites and declared this her favorite soup ever. It totally rocks; thank you!! I’ve never made a bean soup of this type before (primarily beans), but it was delicious. And healthy. For those who are curious, I ran the nutritionals, and using light butter (50 cal/Tbsp), plus 8 slices of the pre-cooked Hormel bacon (it was all I had on hand) the entire recipe came in at 601 calories.
I made this yesterday. We had the missionaries over for dinner. One of the boys cannot eat sugar. Both loved the soup, garlic bread, fruit salad and red onion-topped green salad. I had to work all afternoon, so I had to put this together with a shortcut – I used canned white beans (low sodium). I used 4 cans of white beans, 2 of them I drained, the other 2 I just put all the liquid in. 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 4. 8 cut-up strips of hickory bacon (with the extra white fat trimmed off because it grossed me out to see it). I chopped and crushed my rosemary (a cut that my MIL gave me that I keep in a gallon-size zip lock baggie in my herb cabinet). It softened just fine and gave a great flavor. Everything else I did just as written. It is tasty. I did the bacon prep as directed (holy fatty bacon, batman!), poured the canned beans/onions/pressed garlic and liquid in and put it on Low at 11:00am. I added the butter/rosemary/vinegar and salt at 4:00 and let it cook until the missionaries showed up at 5:15.
Very good for a first-time-bacon-buyer (don’t hate!). The missionaries kept saying things like, “Bacon makes everything amazing.” The soup is 1 for 1.
Made this for dinner tonight. I added minced mini sweet bell peppers for color (orange, red, yellow) with the onions, and it was delicious.
I love the fresh Rosemary. We have a giant bush in the backyard and I’m always looking for recipes that use Rosemary.
Flavor was great. I cooked on high in crockpot for 6 hours and it was done. I did omit the vinegar, wasn’t sure if I would like that or not. It hit the spot here in the dreary Pacific northwest.
We must see things differently when we look out the window here in Louisiana. For the past 3 weeks, I have enjoyed the the leaves in their fall colors, the swirling leaves as I walk on my break and the black-eyed Susans in their abundance along the highways. Everywhere I look, I see the beauty of Fall. I have lived in other parts of the country, including Utah, and I see the same colors here as I did there. As for no Spring, how did you miss the Dogwood Trail where dogwoods bloom in early Spring in white or pink, the red clover that covers the medians, the azaleas, magnolias, wisteria and the budding trees everywhere. Signs of the seasons abound!
How did you KNOW I have fresh rosemary leftover from Thanksgiving that I was looking for a way to use? 🙂 Thanks! YUM
Thank you for vocalizing the feelings I experience every fall. People here in FL think that the lack of snow makes up for the lack of seasons. I honestly forget what month it is sometimes. Looking forward to trying this dish. Also, thanks for posting your experience with your son. It has helped me be a much more cautious parent.
I will probably get shouted at for asking this, but is there anything I could substitute for the bacon? I love slow cooker beans, but I’m a vegetarian so bacon is not really my thing. What would you recommend? Sun dried tomatoes? Thanks! 😀
Oh, I was thinking the same thing! I love white beans, but I’m a vegetarian as well.
*I* won’t shout at you. 🙂 My go-to sub for the flavor of bacon is smoked paprika. I’d add about a teaspoon while it cooks and then add more when it’s done cooking if you feel like it needs it.
Let me chime in here about a veggie version. This recipe sounds just like a delicious vegetarian cassoulet recipe from allrecipes.com. It uses a combo of mushroom broth or bullion and regular veggie broth or bullion and then similar spices. It comes out pretty thick, and I like to smear leftovers onto toast or bagels. Hmm, maybe I’ll make this next week!
Here is a link:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegetarian-cassoulet/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=vegetarian%20cassoulet&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page
I hear you on the stupid weather down here! I’m a Washington girl transplanted to TX. When the temps drop here (60) and I’m happy in a t-shirt the people here are bundled up like it’s 20! However when they are comfortable in jeans when it’s 95 I’m in as little clothing possible and still sweating to death!! I can’t believe it’s going to be in the upper 70’s for the first days of Dec.!!
Is there another herb you can replace the rosemary with that would pair just as nice? We are not crazy about rosemary but I love white beans!
Since you’re not adding it until the very end, I would probably leave it out, taste the beans, and then decide if you want to add anything. You could add fresh thyme or cayenne pepper or lemon zest or all sorts of things that would be delicious! 🙂
I’ve lived in the South all of my life and there are defintely things to complain about here–namely the months of summer that skip right over fall and spring. BUT…when you can wear flipflops and tee-shirts in March (and usually throughout January and February) it makes it a little bit worth it. But, I will say that around here if the weather so much at hints at being cold (like today–59 all day) everyone busts out sweaters, boots and chili for supper! These beans look great. 🙂
My husband is looking into a fellowship in Shreveport… Is this something I should be dreading!? The beans look great, are you anti canned beans when it comes to cooking? I have never used dry beans, they intimidate me.
It’s an adjustment, I’m not gonna lie. But if you’re going into it knowing it’s going to be a temporary situation and there are going to be other medical students around, I think it would be okay. I’ve never been to Shreveport, though. 🙂
This looks so great! Is there a good substitute for garlic?
The quick answer is NO, of course not. The nicer answer is, why so you need a substitute? Flavor opinions?, allergies?, availability? That may make a big difference in what you might substitute.
Ruth, I have an allergy to it. Just wondering if I could still keep the flavor without the reaction.
So, I live in the sticks and our grocery store is sadly understocked when it comes to delicious FRESH things like herbs and even some of the more exotic (non-Utah) veggies. So, I don’t have any way to get my hands on fresh rosemary. Can I sub dried and just add it earlier while it is simmering to bring out the flavor? This gross negligence also means that after all these years I also haven’t tried your pesto recipes. Its a hardship.
You can try it–rosemary is an herb that translates pretty well from fresh to dried, but I’ve never tried it in this recipe.
One thing you can try (maybe not now, but in the warmer months) is buying a rosemary (or basil) plant in the plant section of Lowe’s or Walmart (if you have those). They’re way cheaper and you can keep it all year. 🙂
This comment may be really silly… but… would you serve this like a soup as a main course, or would it probably be more for a side to compliment something else? I’m wanting to make it as a main…
Not a dumb question at all! It’s not *really* soup, but it can stand on its own as a main course–try serving it with bread and salad. Or you could serve it as a side dish to something else. Hope that helps! 🙂
My hubby and I were stationed at Ft Stewart, Georgia as newlyweds. No air conditioning in the apt, no air in the car. My poor cats had flea infestations like no other place we have ever lived since: Bugs, heat, loneliness. One of my neighbors, four were chaplains, gave me my first bean soup recipe, a true comfort food, for which I was so grateful. What a wash of memories this recipe brings! I am eager to try your recipe with rosemary. What a hearty, pungent herb to compliment the creaminess of the white beans. I just love your food ideas!
Could I mix beans in this recipe? I have a half bag of Great Northerns and a full bag of red kidneys in the pantry. This sounds so good.
I probably wouldn’t. White beans are kind of creamy and are more tender, while the kidney beans are definitely heartier. White beans also cook more quickly, so I think you might end up with a weird texture/flavor combo. 🙂
I totally sympathize. We moved to Savannah, GA from Idaho for my hubby’s graduate program and we miss the seasons, too. I even miss the snow, although I don’t miss scraping it off my car. The biggest bummer about Savannah is that when the weather starts to cool off and get nice, the sand gnats come out. But we are moving back this Christmas, so I’ll go for a tromp in the snow and drink some hot cocoa for you. 🙂
Oh, my gosh, I know, right?! Like as soon as the weather gets amazing here, the giant nasty mosquitoes and fire ants come out with a vengeance. You can’t win.
Do you really cook this on high for that long?
It will depend on your elevation and your crockpot, but I’d say at LEAST 5 hours on high.
Oh, I love crock-pot beans! I don’t know that I could ever live away from the mountains and season changing. Good for you for sticking it out! 🙂 You’re a better woman than I!
Ahhh yes…the dreaded no seasons south.I lived in Arkansas for a couple of years,and was totally prego too! I have a sibling photo of us in Nebraska for Christmas. Everyone was in jeans and sweaters…except me! I had on shorts and a t-shirt, and was loving it! I just saw your fantastic looking bean dish…and now I can use up that fresh rosemary I got for the fabulous stuffing we had for Thanksgiving. Artichokes and cheese? YUM-A_LUMMA! So now I can’t wait to try these! AND, I don’t throw away the bacon drippings! (GASP!!) I store them in a sealed container in the fridge to add nummy yummies to my other foods. Oh…and I roasted garlic heads wrapped in foil WITH the turkey..then added to mashed potatoes…HEAVEN!! Thanks for the great turkey day dishes!