Abra Berens' Cranberry Bean Salad W/ Roasted Carrots + Mojo De Ajo

I came to know cranberry beans in the kitchen at Petersham Nurseries under the tutelage of Skye Gyngell. She called them by their Italian name, borlotti beans. Similar to a pinto bean, cranberry beans are a medium-size bean with mottled pink and white coloring. They can be cooked from dried or fresh, pulled straight from their long pods, and any bean can be substituted if you remember that the cooking time of the bean is directly correlated to the size and freshness of the bean at hand. – Abra Berens

Why This Salad Works

This isn't your typical bean salad with vinaigrette and raw vegetables. This is a substantial, satisfying dish where every component is cooked with care and brought together at the end. Tender cranberry beans are dressed with mojo de ajo, a Mexican garlic sauce with citrus that's both rich and bright. Deeply caramelized roasted carrots add sweetness and texture. Fresh cilantro and toasted pepitas provide finishing touches that add brightness and crunch.

It's the kind of salad that works as a main course, not just a side dish. And while there are multiple components, each one is simple and can be made ahead, making this perfect for entertaining or meal prep.

The Star: Cranberry Beans

Let's talk about Cranberry beans, the beautiful medium-sized beans with mottled pink and white coloring. As Abra notes, these are called borlotti beans in Italy, where they're beloved in soups, stews, and salads. They're similar to pinto beans in size and texture but have a slightly more delicate, buttery quality.

What makes Cranberry beans perfect for this salad is their creamy texture and ability to absorb flavors. When cooked until tender and dressed with that rich, garlicky, citrusy mojo de ajo while still warm, they soak up all those wonderful flavors. Each bean becomes tender, flavorful, and absolutely delicious.

These are Doudlah Farms' heirloom Cranberry beans, thin-skinned beauties that cook down to a velvety texture with a slightly buttery, earthy flavor. Our Cranberry beans come from Mark Doudlah at Doudlah Farms in Wisconsin, a 6th generation farmer who transformed his family's conventional farm into a certified regenerative organic operation. After his father was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, known as The Midwest Farmers' Cancer, due to long-term exposure to farm chemicals, Mark knew he had to change how they farmed. Today, Doudlah Farms goes beyond organic with Regenerative Organic Certification and continuous testing to ensure the cleanest, most nutrient-dense beans possible. Learn more about Mark and Doudlah Farms.

The Mojo de Ajo

The star of this dish is arguably the mojo de ajo, a Mexican garlic sauce that's rich, aromatic, and deeply flavorful. Twenty whole garlic cloves get slowly stewed in neutral oil with oregano until they're soft, sweet, and fragrant. The gentle heat mellows the garlic completely, transforming it from sharp and aggressive to sweet and nutty.

Once cooled, citrus zest and juice from three limes and one orange get stirred in, along with salt. As you stir, you lightly smash the garlic cloves with the back of a spoon, creating a thick, oily sauce that's both rich and bright. It's this combination, sweet roasted garlic, fruity olive oil, tart lime, sweet orange, that makes the sauce so special.

The mojo de ajo can be made in the oven (45 minutes at 300°F) or on the stovetop over very low heat. Either way works, though the oven method is more hands-off.

The Roasted Carrots

The carrots aren't just a garnish, they're an essential component. Roasted at high heat (400°F) until deeply caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside, they become incredibly sweet and flavorful. The caramelization adds complexity, while the tender interior provides a nice contrast to the creamy beans.

Tossing them with olive oil, salt, and optional chili flakes before roasting ensures even browning and adds a subtle kick if you want it. The roasting takes about 40 minutes, and they can be made ahead and served at room temperature.

Cooking the Beans

Abra's method for cooking the beans is classic and foolproof. Cover them with plenty of water (2 inches above the beans), add aromatics if you like (onion chunks, thyme bundle, bay leaves), bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. The cooking time can vary widely, anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on whether the beans were soaked and how fresh they are.

The key is to add salt only after the beans are tender. Adding it too early can toughen the skins. Once the beans are cooked, stir in the salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to absorb it, then remove and discard the aromatics.

Assembly

The assembly is simple but important. While the beans are still warm, fold in the mojo de ajo, about a quarter cup per serving. The warm beans absorb the sauce better than cold ones would, soaking up all that garlicky, citrusy goodness.

Transfer the dressed beans to a serving dish or individual bowls. Arrange the roasted carrots on top. Garnish generously with roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all, they're full of flavor) and a handful of toasted pepitas for crunch.

The result is a dish that's beautiful to look at and even better to eat, creamy beans, sweet carrots, bright sauce, fresh herbs, and crunchy seeds all working together.

Make-Ahead Friendly

This is an excellent make-ahead dish. The beans can be cooked a day or two in advance. The mojo de ajo keeps for days in the fridge (and is wonderful on so many other things). The carrots can be roasted ahead and served at room temperature. Just dress the beans with the sauce and assemble everything when you're ready to serve.

It's also wonderful at room temperature, making it perfect for potlucks, picnics, or buffet-style meals.

Versatility

As Abra notes, you can substitute other beans, just adjust the cooking time based on their size and freshness. Orca beans or Southwest Red would both be excellent choices. The mojo de ajo is also incredibly versatile, use it on grilled chicken, fish, vegetables, or toss it with pasta.

The basic concept, beans dressed with a flavorful sauce, paired with roasted vegetables, finished with fresh herbs and crunchy elements, can be adapted endlessly based on what you have and what's in season.

A Salad That Satisfies

This is the kind of salad that proves beans can be the star of a dish, that simple ingredients treated well can be extraordinary, and that vegetarian food can be deeply satisfying without trying to imitate meat. It's rustic and elegant at once, simple but sophisticated.

And it's the kind of recipe that becomes part of your repertoire, one you make over and over, each time appreciating anew how a few good ingredients, cooked thoughtfully, can create something truly special.

Abra Berens' Cranberry Bean Salad W/ Roasted Carrots + Mojo De Ajo

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Category

Salad

Cuisine

Mediterranean

I came to know cranberry beans in the kitchen at Petersham Nurseries under the tutelage of Skye Gyngell. She called them by their Italian name, borlotti beans. Similar to a pinto bean, cranberry beans are a medium-size bean with mottled pink and white coloring. – Abra Berens

Featured bean: Cranberry 

Other beans to try: Orca, Southwest Red

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried Cranberry beans

• 1 onion (about 8 oz), cut into chunks (optional)

• 10 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle (optional)

• 3 bay leaves (optional)

• 1 tsp salt, plus more for the carrots

• 2 lb carrots, cut in half

• Olive oil

• Chili flakes (optional)

• 1 recipe Mojo de Ajo (recipe below)

• 10 sprigs cilantro, stems and leaves roughly chopped

• ½ cup pepitas, toasted

Mojo De Ajo

• 1 cup neutral oil

• 20 garlic cloves (4 oz), peeled and left whole

• 2 sprigs oregano

• 3 limes, zest and juice

• 1 orange, zest and juice

• Salt

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Directions

1. Cook the beans: In a large pot, cover the beans with water by 2 inches. Add the onion, thyme, and bay leaves (if using). Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender (anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, depending on whether the beans have been soaked and their freshness). When the beans are tender, add the salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the herbs and discard.

2. Roast the carrots: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the carrots with a glug of olive oil, a couple pinches of salt, and a pinch of chili flakes (if using). Roast the carrots until deeply caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside, about 40 minutes.

3. Assemble and serve: Spoon a heaping serving of cooked beans per person into a bowl and gently fold in ¼ cup of mojo de ajo per serving. Transfer the beans into a serving dish or individual bowls, portion the carrots evenly among the serving dishes, and garnish with the chopped cilantro and a handful of pepitas.

Mojo De Ajo

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, and oregano in a small ovenproof pot. Bake for 45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Alternatively, stew on the stove over very low heat, checking on it regularly. Allow to cool. Remove the oregano sprigs, squeezing any oil clinging to the leaves back into the pot. Add the citrus zest and juice and a couple of pinches of salt. Stir to combine, lightly smashing the garlic cloves with the back of the spoon to make a thick, oily sauce.