Slow-Cooker Porchetta Beans

By Ali Slagle

Updated October 21, 2025

Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Ready In
8 hr
Rating
4(58)
Comments
Read comments

Braising stew meat with dried beans ensures a rich broth no matter what else is in the pot. Here, white beans and pork shoulder are cooked with the heady flavors of porchetta: garlic, fennel, sage, rosemary and black pepper. While fennel seeds or pollen are used in porchetta, this recipe opts for the bulb and its stalks, which soften into silky strands. Round out the meal with sautéed broccoli rabe or kale and crusty bread. For a stovetop version, see here. 

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • Salt and ground black pepper 

  • 1 garlic head, halved crosswise

  • 1 pound dried white beans, such as cannellini or corona

  • 1 fennel bulb, including stalks if available, cut through the stem into 1-inch wedges

  • 3 sage sprigs

  • 1 rosemary sprig 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

17 grams carbs; 81 milligrams cholesterol; 436 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 28 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 727 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 3 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

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Scoot the pork to one side and add the garlic cut-sides down. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer the pork and garlic to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker, then pour 1 cup or so of water into the Dutch oven and scrape to dislodge the browned bits stuck to the pot. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker. To the slow cooker, add the beans, fennel, sage, and rosemary, along with 1 ½ teaspoons each salt and pepper. Cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Cover and cook on low until the pork and beans are tender, 6 to 8 hours. To test for doneness, taste more than one bean to ensure they’re all cooked through; they should flatten without much effort when pressed between your fingers. 

  3. Step 3

    Season to taste with salt. Use two forks to break up the pork, then spoon the pork, beans, fennel, and broth into bowls. Top with another grind of black pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
58 user ratings
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Comments

D.

It means cut the entire head of garlic (containing all of the individual bulbs) straight across the middle, horizontally (perpendicular). You’ll essentially be slicing each clove in half, while keeping the head of garlic together. When the two half-heads are added to the Dutch oven in the first step, they’re placed cut-side down, allowing the now-exposed garlic to make contact with the heat at the bottom of the pan. It’s also easier to remove the garlic (and its peel) this way before serving.

Susan

Excellent flavor. Definitely easy to prepare. But I think the beans to pork ratio is off. I'd go with two pounds of pork, especially if you want to feed six. And I'd opt for cannellinis over coronas next time. Coronas took much longer to cook than 8 hours at low.

D.

I apologize for being a bit unclear in my first response. The entire head of garlic is the bulb. The individual cloves inside are not bulbs, although I mistakenly called them that at one point. However, if you plant an individual clove of garlic outdoors in the fall, it will grow to an entire bulb by next summer and can be harvested. Garlic is very easy to grow.

Doug

Not sure what I did wrong but came out very bland. I did use more pork (2 lbs) per some others suggestion, and the beans were not fully cooked at 8 hours on low. Cooked on medium for 2 more hours and still a little bit too much bite for my taste. Adding lemon at the end helped but I’m scratching my head at how this came out so flavorless.

Mike

I love this recipe, and the results are glorious. But it needs more meat -- at least two pounds. After all, it's porchetta. And after cutting the pork into 1-inch pieces, why would you use forks to break up the pork?? It's perfect in 1-inch pieces.

Snowshoe

The 4 stars is for the recipe as written. I agree with an earlier commenter that acid is needed to lift the dish otherwise it comes across as a bit "meh." I added apple cider vinegar and boiled apple cider to taste and felt that made a significant improvement. Before settling on that outcome I tested balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Apple cider vinegar on its own best matched the flavor profile but the addition of an equal amount of boiled cider rounded the acid notes. Do this to taste.

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