Greek Baked Beans With Honey and Dill
Published February 25, 2010
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
1 pound dried large lima beans or white beans, soaked if necessary for six hours or overnight in 2 quarts of water and drained (limas require no soaking)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, preferably a sweet red onion, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons honey, such as clover or acacia
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup, loosely packed, chopped fresh dill
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
29 grams carbs; 212 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 629 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 14 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the drained beans and water to cover by 3 inches in a large, oven-proof casserole or Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium size, heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Step 3
After 30 minutes, drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the remaining olive oil, the tomatoes and the liquid in the can, bay leaf, honey, and 2 cups water or enough to just cover the beans. Stir in the onion, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven. Bake one hour, stirring often and adding water if necessary. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes, until the beans are tender and the mixture is thick.
- Step 4
Stir in the dill, cover and let sit 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with thick slices of country bread.
Advance preparation: This can be made through step 3 a day or two ahead of time. Add water if the mixture is too thick to bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Bring to a simmer, and proceed with the recipe. Leftovers will be good for three or four days.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this in an Instant Pot, cooking quick soaked beans for 12 minutes with the tomatoes, bay leaf, honey, onion, and 2 extra cups water (instead of 30 min on stovetop and 1 hour in oven). Do a quick release, add the vinegar/tomato paste, and simmer for 30 min (per the recipe) using the sauté function on the IP. To quick soak beans: add dried beans to boiling water, take off heat, let sit at room temp for 1 hour. This was delicious, the beans were creamy and flavorful.
Very tasty. I used giant lima bands from Rancho Gordo. I did not pre-soak them, and they took a lot more time and a lot more water than expected from the recipe. I would make this again, taking that into consideration.
Delicious. I added a teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes to the bean mixture before baking, and served with crumbled feta on top as another commenter suggested.
Great with rice!
Hm. I keep reading this recipe again and again thinking I missed something. I didn't find this dish that interesting at all. I was hoping more for something more like my mother's Italian baked beans, a recipe I misplaced years ago. Given the short list of ingredients, I used top quality olive oil and imported tomatoes and, well, it's beans in tomatoes. And yes, it took at least another hour in the oven to soften the beans than the recipe indicates. Onward and upward.
Tasty but not particularly memorable. Star deducted for recipe noting 1.5 hours total time, but directions include 2 hours ( 30 min, 1 hour, and then another 30 minutes). In truth with dry beans I would add an even longer cook in the first step as the overnight soak was not enough to soften the consistency.
If you use large lima beans, you do not need to soak them! I have made this so many times and now boil them for about 45 minutes before I start the oven cooking. I never have any problem with the beans being hard. One solution is to use distilled water - hard tap water can slow down bean cooking (something Melissa Clark taught us once upon a time!)