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If you’re looking for an easy, comforting pot of beans that’s rich and flavorful, these Brothy Beans are exactly what you want. They simmer slowly with garlic, onion, and fresh herbs to create a cozy, deeply satisfying meal using simple pantry ingredients.
Love a good bean salad? You need to try our Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad recipe as well as our protein packed Edamame Salad and our Avocado Black Bean Salad!
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
I have been obsessed with brothy beans ever since I discovered Allison Roman and her version of this recipe. I made it so many times until I decided to start playing around with it and making it my own. Over the past few years, I’ve tweaked it a lot and really love how it’s turned out!
After posting it on Instagram several times, I got so many requests for the recipe so lets do it :)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple pantry ingredients with big payoff
- Cozy, comforting, and naturally vegetarian
- Flexible enough to serve as a main, side, or base for other meals
- Tastes even better the next day
In this post…
Ingredients needed
The ingredients for this brothy beans recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Dry beans – I used lima beans (aka butter beans which are buttery large white beans), but cannellini beans, great northern beans, or navy beans all work well. If your beans are older, expect a longer cook time.
I’ve been really into rancho gordo beans lately! - Yellow onion – A large onion adds sweetness and depth to the broth. White onion also works in a pinch.
- Garlic cloves – This is a garlicky recipe by design, but you can scale it back slightly if you prefer something more subtle.
- Vegetable broth – Using broth gives the beans a richer, more savory flavor, but water works too (you’ll just want to season more generously).
- Fresh herbs – I used a bundle of thyme, oregano, and rosemary. Tie them together so they’re easy to remove later. Feel free to swap in bay, sage, or parsley stems depending on what you have.
- Seasoning – Including bay leaves, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Lemon juice (optional) – A splash at the end brightens everything up, but the beans are still delicious without it.
- Parmesan rind – this is also optional BUT highly recommended. It adds so much depth of flavor to the soup!
How to Make It
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- In a large dutch oven over medium-low heat, saute the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened and tender. Many recipes have you cook the onion whole and then remove it but I love the onion in the broth with the beans.
- Add in the remaining ingredients (minus the lemon juice) and simmer until the beans are tender and ready to eat. The cooking time can vary greatly depending on the age of your beans and how long you soaked them.
I like to serve my pot of brothy beans with crusty bread, chili flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil to make it a full meal! And the leftovers are SO GOOD! Store any remaining brothy beans in an airtight container to enjoy later.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t rush the simmer – slow cooking is what makes the beans creamy
- Keep the beans submerged for the best texture
- Salt early so the beans absorb flavor as they cook
- Finish with olive oil or lemon juice to brighten everything up
Frequently Asked Questions
Soaking is recommended for even cooking and shorter simmer time, but you can skip it if needed – just plan for a longer cook.
This recipe is designed for dried beans. Canned beans won’t give you the same creamy texture or flavorful broth. You *could* still make this recipe with canned beans, you’ll just want to cook it a lot less. Maybe even just 20 minutes.
Older beans can take longer to cook. Just keep simmering and add more broth as needed.
Easy One-Pot Brothy Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry white beans, I used lima beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 6-10 cups veggie broth*
- Fresh herb bundle, I used 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 oregano, and 3 rosemary*
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ – 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons of salt, you can also start with less and add as desired
- Black pepper to taste
- Lemon juice to taste, I often leave it out
- Optional Parmesan rind, mine was about 4 inches long
Instructions
- Soak the beans (recommended). Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of water. Soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking. Shortcut option: You can skip soaking, but the beans will take longer to cook and may require more broth.
- Sauté the aromatics. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Build the broth. Add the drained beans to the pot along with 6 cups of the broth. Stir in the herb bundle, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, and a few cracks of black pepper.
- Simmer until tender. Bring the pot to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover partially and cook for 60–90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and creamy. Add more broth as needed to keep the beans submerged and brothy (up to 10 cups total).
- Finish and adjust. Once the beans are fully tender, remove and discard the herb bundle and bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes as desired. Stir in lemon juice if using.
- Serve. Serve warm with crusty bread, a drizzle of olive oil, or spooned over grains. The broth will continue to thicken slightly as it sits.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
