White beans with too much garlic
by Madison · Pittsburgh, PA
A pot of beans that becomes lunch for three days. The garlic amount is not a typo and I will not be revising it.
- Total time2 hours, mostly unattended
- Serves4 to 6
- PostedJuly 5, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried cannellini or great northern beans, soaked overnight
- 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 wide strip of lemon peel
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- A parmesan rind if you have one
Method
- Drain the soaked beans and put them in a heavy pot with the garlic cloves, olive oil, bay, lemon peel, pepper flakes, parmesan rind, and enough water to cover by two inches.
- Bring to a bare simmer — the surface should barely move. A hard boil splits the skins and you end up with soup.
- Cook 75 to 90 minutes, adding hot water if the beans ever surface. Start tasting at 75 minutes; they're done when a bean collapses on the roof of your mouth with no chalk left in the middle.
- Salt generously now, not earlier, and let them sit off the heat for 20 minutes. This is where they actually become good.
- Serve in shallow bowls with a lot of the liquid, another pour of olive oil, and bread that can handle it.