My 5-Minute, No-Cook Tuscan White Beans

For anyone who wants to eat their way through a country, Tuscany is pretty much a food haven. Out of every locale we visited (read about Rome here), Tuscany blew much of the competition out of the water when it came to meals. While I was in Tuscany, there were several dishes we encountered over and over: pici (a local, hand-rolled thick spaghetti — recipe forthcoming), the monstrous Bistecca alla Fiorentina (no self-respecting restaurant would serve one less than three fingers thick), and the deceptively simple-yet-glorious white beans with garlic in olive oil.

There was something about these tender cannellini soaked through with fruity olive oil and just enough of a punch with fresh garlic that etched itself on my brain. I’m actually not a huge fan of legumes, but I wanted them with every meal.

When I got home to my kitchen, I tried my best to recreate my own version through memory using the existing cans of cannellini I had in my pantry and the various ingredients in my kitchen. Sure, any true Tuscan would probably scoff at my using dried herbs in place of fresh ones and canned beans instead of painstakingly soaking dried ones well-before — and I promise, when I run out of canned beans, I’ll try my hand at the real thing.

While it’s probably not a perfect one-to-one match, I tweaked my recipe until I created a version that is so quick to whip up, you could do it before your pasta even reaches al dente.

Ingredients

1 can of cannellini beans, drained
1/2 tsp of chicken bouillon
A pinch of garlic powder
1/4 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp of dried organo (or 1/2 tablespoon of fresh oregano, finely chopped)
1/2 tsp of dried parsley (or 1/2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic, minced (or pressed through a garlic press, if you have one)
Salt to taste

Directions

After draining your beans, pour them into a medium sized bowl. Mix in the bouillon and garlic powder until completely dissolved.
Next, pour in chicken broth and olive oil and give it a good stir. Add in your herbs and stir until evenly distributed.
Finally, add your garlic. I prefer pressing my cloves personally as I feel like this imparts more flavor, however, if you’re adding minced garlic, just give your garlic an extra smash before adding to release the taste.
Salt to taste and it’s ready to serve. Alternately, if you really want to marinate the flavors a little more, cover and pop in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before eating. This dish can be served chilled or at room temperature.

And that’s pretty much it. Let me know if you guys enjoy this recipe, and tag me on Instagram @the.offhours if you post a pic!

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