White Beans au Vin
Updated Nov. 19, 2020

- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3medium carrots, diced into ½-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
- 5medium shallots, chopped (about 1 cup)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 8ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
- 5thyme sprigs
- 3garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½cup dry red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône
- 2teaspoons tomato paste
- 2(15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 2cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1tablespoon Cognac or brandy
- 2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Preparation
- Step 1
In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots and shallots, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the thyme sprigs and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost completely evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the beans, broth, Cognac, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to low, partly cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Step 5
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and balsamic vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among shallow bowls and sprinkle with more parsley, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I think draining/rinsing canned beans comes from a time before cans were lined/coated. On Cooks Illustrated's advice, I've stopped doing that, giving me a liquid with flavor and a little heft. I use a good broth concentrate (also from Cooks), so I can use the bean liquid without it adding extra water.
Unless the canned beans are labeled "no salt," the liquid can be overly salted, or taste-not-so great. Rinsing was recommended not just for the can, but also for the salt.
Not a fan of the brandy flavor (no cognac) but did add a little sherry and that mellowed the flavor a bit. Added some broccoli for color and more veggies, and served over cauliflower rice. Really delicious.
Quite tasty. I followed recipe but: added cauliflower florets, 1 cup (white wine), and of course more garlic. Luckily had some cognac, and I think WAS a huge plus. RE THE GREAT BEAN DISPUTE: We still prefer dried beans, because we like them more al dente than canned. BUT: I still regard bean cooking as a bit of a PIA, This site has an excellent article ("How to cook beans") while dispels a lot of the fuss, but still, there's just no way to avoid constantly keeping your eye on them.
A keeper. I added a parmesan rind, subbed onion for pricier shallots and sauteed the veg in the rendered fat from a little pancetta. Homemade chicken broth added a big boost in flavor. Not a fan of slimy mushrooms, I roasted mine in a separate step that was well worth the time. Next time I might cut back on the liquid as the dish took some time to thicken up, The recipe served two hearty eaters for dinner with leftovers for lunch.
Delicious flavors. The for minis held up very well. I added some sweet potato. I wish I’d done much less cook time on the carrots and potatoes. They were slightly mushy. But will make agai