Slow-Cooked Beans
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.
Ingredients
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1 pound dried beans, such as cannellini beans, black beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, great northern beans or pinto beans
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1 onion, chopped
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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6 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
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1 bay leaf
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5 cups boiling water
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1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1.
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.)
2.
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.
Nutrition information
Calories 260, Total Fat 1 g, Sodium 201 mg, Carbohydrate 48 g, Fiber 19 g, Protein 15 g, Potassium 726 mg. Daily Values: Calcium 15%, Iron 25%. Exchanges: Starch 3.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
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