Fiasco-style Beans (Fagioli al Fiasco)

By Kath Dedon

Don’t let the simplicity of these Fiasco-style Beans fool you. They are seriously delicious!

I found the recipe on Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks blog. It’s a great resource for all things vegetarian.

Top-quality dried beans can make a big difference in the recipe. I used dried cranberry beans from Rancho Gordo and they were perfect. Heidi suggests you could also use cannellini beans, cassoulet beans, or even pinto beans.

I will definitely make Fiasco-style Beans again. They take a little over 2 hours to make, but the hands-on time is very minimal. They would make a terrific side dish for grilled meat, but they can be the main course served with bread and a salad.

Fiasco-style Beans (Fagioli al Fiasco)

(Adapted from Heidi Swanson’s recipe on 101cookbooks.com)

(print the recipe)

Serves 8

1 pound dried cranberry or cannellini beans, soaked overnight

6 cups water

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

7 medium sage leaves

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Scant 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1. Set the oven temperature to 225° and put the rack in the bottom third.
2. Drain the beans and put them in a large ovenproof pot. Add all of the other ingredients except the salt. Bring the pot to a boil.
3. Put the lid on the pot, leaving it slightly off to leave a small crack. Put the pot in the oven to bake for 2 hours.
4. Check the beans after a few minutes to make sure they are gently simmering. Adjust the temperature to 250° if necessary.
5. After 90 minutes in the oven, add the salt and stir. You can add a bit more water if they are getting too dry. Bake them for 30 more minutes.
6. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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