Slow-Cooked Beans

4.6

(7)

7 Reviews

By cooking your own dried beans, you save money, reduce sodium and get better flavor along with, surprisingly, more vitamins and minerals. If you can't use the whole batch, freeze surplus cooked beans for later use in soups, salads and dips. The range of time for cooking beans is wide and varies with the age and the type of beans selected.

By Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

Updated on April 22, 2024

Tested by

EatingWell Test Kitchen

Reviewed by Dietitian

Sylvia Geiger, M.S., RD

Cook Time:

10 mins

Additional Time:

4 hrs 50 mins

Total Time:

5 hrs

Servings:

Yield:

6 cups

Nutrition Profile:

Dairy-Free Healthy Pregnancy Healthy Aging Low-Sodium Low-Fat High-Fiber Heart-Healthy Vegan Vegetarian High-Protein Gluten-Free Low-Calorie

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Ingredients

1 pound dried beans, such as black beans, black-eyed peas, great northern beans or pinto beans (see Tip)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
5 cups boiling water
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Soak beans in enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. (Alternatively, use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.)
Drain the beans and place them in a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Pour in boiling water. Cook, covered, on high until beans are tender, 2 to 3 1/2 hours. Add salt, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more.

Tips

For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.

Tip: Don't use kidney beans in this recipe; slow-cooking doesn't destroy a natural toxin in kidney beans that can cause severe digestive distress. After soaking, kidney beans must be boiled in fresh water for at least 30 minutes to render them safe to eat.

Originally appeared: EatingWell Magazine, Winter 2004

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

253	Calories
1g	Fat
48g	Carbs
15g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Serving Size 1 cup
Calories 253
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate 48g	17%
Dietary Fiber 19g	66%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 15g	29%
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Vitamin A 9IU	0%
Vitamin C 4mg	4%
Folate 247mcg	62%
Sodium 201mg	9%
Calcium 138mg	11%
Iron 4mg	24%
Magnesium 97mg	23%
Potassium 712mg	15%

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Slow-Cooked Beans

Ingredients

Directions

Tips

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

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