Creamy white beans with sage, tomato and balsamic vinegar
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White beans with sage, tomato and balsamic vinegar
Creamy white beans in a tangy, herby tomato sauce: a Greek-inspired take on Tuscan fagioli all’uccelletto. They are just as good hot or cold, as an antipasto or a side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) dried cannellini or butter beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
- 500 ml (2 cups) good crushed tomatoes
- 20 sage leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 medium onions
- 1 chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil, plus extra virgin olive oil to serve
- Salt
Instructions
- Rinse the soaked beans well.
- Cook them in plenty of water with half the sage leaves and the whole garlic cloves until just tender: about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker, or about 2 hours in a pot (bring to a boil, then simmer gently with the lid partly on). Keep the cooking water.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the onions.
- In another pot, gently cook the onions, the rest of the sage and the chili in a generous swirl of olive oil for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned.
- Add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until thick and syrupy. Turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked beans to the tomato sauce with just enough of their cooking water to cover them.
- Simmer over low heat for 30–40 minutes, adding a little bean water now and then so the beans stay just covered. Some of the beans will break down into a creamy sauce.
- Season with salt and serve with a swirl of extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
The times don’t include soaking the beans overnight. With a pressure cooker, the total time drops to about 1 hour 15 minutes.
