Rosemary White Beans With Frizzled Onions and Tomato

By Melissa Clark

Published Jan. 4, 2023

Rosemary White Beans With Frizzled Onions and Tomato
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(6,806)
Comments
Read comments

A speedy, pantry-friendly dish, canned white beans braised in olive oil and tomatoes become stewlike and creamy. Pinches of fresh or dried rosemary, chile flakes and lemon zest add complexity to the mix, while a topping of frizzled, browned onions lends sweetness and a chewy-crisp texture. Serve this with toasted country bread drizzled with olive oil, or over a bowl of rice or farro for an easy, satisfying weeknight meal.

Featured in: Here’s Yet Another Reason to Worship Canned Beans

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings
  • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1large white onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
  • Fine sea salt
  • 6garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes, more for serving
  • 2(15-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini or butter beans (preferably canned with salt), drained and rinsed
  • 1cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
  • 1½teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
  • 1cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

516 calories; 28 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 779 milligrams sodium

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.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil until it shimmers over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned all over, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, transfer half of the onions to a plate and season lightly with salt.

  2. Step 2

    Add remaining 6 tablespoons oil, the garlic, rosemary, red-pepper flakes and a pinch of salt to the onions in the skillet. Cook until garlic is pale gold at the edges (don’t let the garlic turn brown), 2 to 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add beans, chopped tomatoes, ½ cup of water and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet; stir until beans are well coated with sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook until broth thickens, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in lemon zest and parsley, and taste, adding more salt if needed. Garnish with reserved onions, more parsley, olive oil and red-pepper flakes, if you’d like. The beans thicken as they cool, but you can add more water to make them brothier if you like.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
6,806 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

mike in nashville

I start my version of this with a few salted anchovies in the initial step - they will disintegrate and add extra depth/umami, as well as replacing the salt added later in this recipe.

NS

This recipe sounds delicious. But I wonder if it is necessary to use a half cup of olive oil for 3 to 4 servings? I make similar dishes all the time but with at the most 2 T of oil (plus more beans) and they feed 6-8.

Juliet

If the brand of canned beans is as important as Melissa Clark says, what are some recommended brands?

Kristen

I took the advice of anolther review and added anchovies at the start. I also added a little white wine at the end as the beans absorbed a lot of the liquid. DELISH and so easy and had everything on hand. Can make a little in advance which will be helpful for entertaining. Pervect with grilled swordfish. LOVE this as did my fam. MC never disappoints!!!

Elizabeth

Pleasant enough for diet food, but nothing special. At least the fiber helps clean me out 1-2 days before stepping on the scale each week! I use 1/2 the amount of evoo, one 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with tomato juice (instead of water), double the amount of caramelized onions, and wilt 11 oz. of fresh spinach in addition. The beans don't cook enough, even if I cover them for 10-15 minutes, so I make this recipe in advance & store in the fridge to reheat later, to soften the beans.

Camille

This recipe is incredible, and I've done some variations on it to make it a bit different each time. So far adding anise and fennel along with the rosemary is lovely. Also adding more tomatoes and onions.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.