Lemony White Beans & Leeks
A divinely simple side dish made from white beans & leeks infused with lemon, parmesan, garlic & parsley
Hello friends and subscribers!
I usually send a main course recipe once a month and that’s what this recipe was supposed to be. It started out as white bean stew, but over time the recipe evolved into a lighter, brighter side dish.
And what a delicious side dish it is!
White beans and leeks are simmered into a creamy dish that’s flavored with generous amounts of lemon & parsley plus a light dusting of parmesan.
I highly recommend toasting slices of baguette to scoop up the beans. If you’re in the mood for a lighter meal, this combination might even qualify as a main course.
Otherwise, serve these beans with almost anything - chicken, salmon and pork are all good pairings. You could also pair it with a Greek salad and toasted pita bread.
Lemony White Beans & Leeks
Servings: 6
Cooking Method: Simmer in a saute pan
Approximate Total Prep and Cooking Time: 40 minutes
A printable pdf of this recipe is at the bottom of the page. You can also find all of my Substack recipes in the recipe index.
This recipe is made with canned beans, which keeps things simple. You should serve it directly from the skillet, which also keeps things simple. With a generous amount of parsley and parmesan sprinkled over the dish, it’s quite eye-catching on the table!
I’ve served these lemony beans with a Greek salad, pita bread and spanakopita. I’ve also served it alongside salmon, and it would also be great with chicken or pork chops.
Ingredients
(detailed notes about the ingredients are below the instructions)
4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 heaping cups of thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts)
¼ cup dry or extra-dry vermouth, or white wine
2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 cans white beans, drained and lightly rinsed (I like Great Northern beans the best for this recipe)
¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon zest from half a lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup finely grated parmesan
½ cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
In a 10 to 12 inch skillet or saute pan, melt the butter or heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and leeks and cook until soft and lightly browned, 8 minutes. If the leeks start turning dark brown, turn the heat down to medium-low. You want the texture of the leeks to be soft and the color only lightly browned.
Add vermouth or wine. Simmer rapidly until the vermouth/wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.
Add broth, white beans and salt. Gently mix the beans and then let the broth simmer rapidly and reduce for 12 minutes over medium heat. You don’t need to stir the beans and leeks while they simmer.
Turn off the heat. The beans will have absorbed much of the broth. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and gently stir. Scatter the parmesan and parsley over the top.
Add more lemon zest, lemon juice, parmesan and parsley to taste. Be generous!
The beans will be a little bit brothy right after the dish is made. After 30 minutes or so the beans will absorb most of the broth and the consistency will be thicker. It’s delicious both ways!
Serve the beans directly from the skillet, either warm or at room temperature.
Serve with sliced, toasted baguette to scoop up the beans - optional but delicious!
This dish keeps well for several days in the refrigerator and is delicious leftover.
Ingredients Notes
Leeks: I don’t recommend substituting onion for leeks in this recipe. Leeks have a softer texture and a flavor that is mildly sweet and more delicate than onions.
I buy the 6 oz. package of trimmed leeks from Trader Joe’s, which ends up being slightly more than 2 cups chopped leeks. At other grocery stores, you’ll probably need to buy 2 whole leeks. This video shows how to cut leeks. For this recipe, I slice the leek lengthwise, then slice it lengthwise into fourths. Then, slice into thin pieces.
Vermouth or white wine: Vermouth or white wine are added to recipes to boost flavor and add acidity. It really does add more flavor to a dish. I finally bought a bottle of inexpensive extra-dry vermouth to keep in my pantry for cooking. It comes in really handy for recipes like this, when you only need a little bit of alcohol and don’t want to open a bottle of white wine. For cooking purposes, a bottle of vermouth can last up to 6 months. Ideally, you should store it in the refrigerator but I don’t have room for that. A cool pantry or storage room is fine.
Canned white beans: The reason I like Great Northern beans the best for this recipe if that they are slightly bigger and softer and give the dish a creamier texture. If you can only find Navy beans it’s fine, the dish will still be good. Navy beans are actually the bean in the photos for this recipe. They are smaller and tend to hold their shape better, which gives the dish a less creamy texture.
Lemon zest and juice: I use a microplane zester for zesting lemons. I also use it to grate the parmesan cheese. It’s easiest to zest the lemon first, directly over the skillet, then slice the lemon open and squeeze out the juice.
