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White Beans with Sage, Garlic and Fennel

White Beans with Sage, Garlic and Fennel

We find these Tuscan beans elegant by construct, mainly because the recipe uses three different techniques to derive the full flavor of sage.

By Catherine SmartFebruary 5, 2018

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    45 minutes
  • Rating

This is a simplified version of classic Tuscan fagioli uccelletto. For complexity, we flavor the beans with three layers of sage—finely chopped leaves, sage-infused oil and crumbled fried leaves. Any variety of canned white beans will work, though great northern and navy beans held their shape better than cannellini. This dish is hearty enough to serve as a main—it's excellent with grilled rustic bread—but is also a good accompaniment to roast chicken or pork.

To make the recipe using dried white beans, start by soaking ½ pound dried great northern beans in 6 cups water and 1 ½ tablespoons salt overnight. The next day, heat an oven to 300 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Drain the beans and add them to a large saucepan along with 2 bay leaves, and 1 head garlic with the top third removed. Pour in 2 cups water, bring to a simmer over high, cover, and bake until the beans and tender and creamy, about 1 hour. Drain the beans (reserving the liquid) then proceed with the recipe substituting the cooked beans for the canned beans called for in the recipe.

Tip

Don’t drain both cans of beans. The liquid from one of the cans creates a sauce-like consistency that keeps the beans succulent.

Ingredients
  • 6

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1

    large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped

  • 1

    medium yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 4

    large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3

    tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage, plus 20 whole leaves

  • ¼

    teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 1

    14½-ounce can diced tomatoes

  • 2

    15½-ounce cans white beans (see note), 1 can rinsed and drained

  • Shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Step 1

In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the fennel, onion, garlic, chopped sage, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 15 minutes.

Step 2

Stir in the tomatoes and the beans. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer, for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Meanwhile, line a plate with paper towels. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil until shimmering.

Add the sage leaves and cook, flipping the leaves once, until the edges begin to curl, about 1 minute. Transfer to the prepared plate; reserve the oil.

Step 4

Transfer the beans to a serving bowl, then drizzle with the sage oil. Coarsely crumble the sage leaves over the beans. Top with Parmesan.

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