For even cooking, the beans should be soaked before cooking for 10 to 12 hours in 3 quarts of water mixed with 1½ tablespoons salt. The beans taste great on their own, drizzled with olive oil and served with crusty bread, or enriched with diced tomatoes, blanched kale or baby arugula or spinach. For a crunchy contrast, top with crisp-fried bits of pancetta or prosciutto.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - divided, plus more for serving
- 1 medium red onion - chopped
- 2 medium carrots - diced
- 1 large fennel bulb - diced
- 1 stalk celery - sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 large cloves garlic - whole
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves - minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 3-ounce chunk Parmesan cheese - with rind if available, grated and rind reserved
- 1 pound dried cannellini beans - or or Great Northern, soaked and drained
- 1 package pre-cooked Italian sausages - diced
- crusty bread - to serve
Instructions
Soak the beans:
- Soak the beans for 10 to 12 hours in 3 quarts of water mixed with 1½ tablespoons salt.
- Drain and rinse the beans and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics:
- Preheat the oven to 335°F.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high, combine 3 tablespoons of olive oil, onion, carrots, fennel, celery, garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add the rosemary and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the Parmesan rind and the beans and cover with cold water, making sure the water comes a good couple of fingers above the beans (1 to 2 inches, depending on how brothy you like your beans).
Braise the beans:
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring the beans slowly to just-before-the-boil (they mustn’t boil), skimming away any surface foam if you like.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Cover the pan with the lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and surrounded by just a little cloudy broth.
Finish and serve:
- Stir in the diced pre-cooked Italian sausage.
- Check and adjust the seasoning.
- Let the soup rest for about 10 minutes to allow the sausages to warm through.
- Drizzle with additional olive oil and serve with crusty bread.