Garlicky Yellow Beans With Greens

We've partnered with our friends at Great Jones to bring you a simple and hearty recipe that's perfect for cozy nights in.

Why This Recipe Works

What makes this dish perfect for cozy nights is exactly what the description promises: it's simple and hearty. The beans cook with aromatics and chicken stock, creating a rich, flavorful broth. Kale and lots of garlic get stirred in at the end, adding greens and pungent flavor. Garlic toast rubbed with raw garlic provides the perfect vehicle for soaking up broth.

It's the kind of food that warms you from the inside, that feels nourishing and comforting, that comes together without complicated techniques or hard-to-find ingredients. Perfect for when you want something good but don't have energy for anything elaborate.

The Star: Peruano Beans

Let's talk about Peruano beans (also called Mayocoba), beautiful yellow beans with a buttery texture and mild, creamy flavor. These beans are beloved in Mexican cooking for their versatility and how they create a rich, almost buttery broth when cooked.

What makes Peruano beans ideal for this preparation is their creamy texture that becomes almost velvety when cooked in chicken stock with aromatics, their mild flavor that absorbs the garlic and kale without being bland, and their beautiful golden color that looks appealing in the bowl.

When cooked with aromatics and chicken stock, then combined with garlicky kale, these beans create something that's comforting, satisfying, and deeply flavorful despite the simple ingredient list.

The Great Jones Partnership

This recipe was created in partnership with Great Jones, a company making beautifully designed, high-quality cookware. Their Dutch ovens (called "The Dutchess") are perfect for this kind of one-pot cooking, beans simmering on the stove, kale stirred in at the end, everything served from the same pot.

The partnership makes sense, both brands emphasize quality, thoughtful design, and making cooking accessible and enjoyable rather than intimidating.

The Aromatics

The beans cook with thoughtful aromatics that build a flavorful foundation:

• Celery stalk: Aromatic, slightly bitter
• Shallot (sliced lengthwise): Sweet, mild onion flavor
• Small yellow onion (sliced lengthwise): Additional sweet onion depth
• Bay leaves: Herbal, slightly bitter
• Thyme (small bunch): Earthy, slightly minty
• Garlic (small head, sliced lengthwise): Sweet roasted garlic flavor throughout cooking

These aren't random, they're classic aromatics for bean cookery that create depth without overwhelming the beans' natural flavor.

The Chicken Stock

Four cups of chicken stock substitute for water in the bean cooking liquid. This is what transforms good beans into exceptional ones, the stock adds savory richness, body, and complexity that water can't provide.

The recipe specifies "high-quality chicken stock, preferably homemade," which matters. Good stock (whether homemade or quality store-bought) makes a real difference in the final dish. If you have homemade stock, this is a great place to use it.

The Kale and Garlic

Once the beans are cooked, sliced garlic (4 cloves) and kale get sautéed in olive oil in a Dutch oven until the kale softens, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as you cook.

Then the beans and their broth get added and everything simmers together for 5 more minutes to let flavors meld and the broth thicken slightly.

This final simmer is important, it allows the kale to fully soften, the garlic to infuse the broth, and everything to become cohesive rather than just beans with greens dumped on top.

The Garlic Toast

While the beans simmer, make the garlic toast: brush thick slices of country bread with olive oil and broil for 2 minutes until nicely toasted. Then rub a raw garlic clove over the bread, pushing firmly to release its juices.

This technique, rubbing raw garlic on hot toast, is classic Italian (pan con l'aglio) and creates intensely garlicky bread that's perfect for this dish. The heat from the toast mellows the garlic slightly while the rough texture of the bread acts like a grater, releasing garlic oils and flavor.

Use good, crusty country bread, sourdough, ciabatta, or any rustic loaf with substantial crust and open crumb.

Serving

Serve the beans and greens in bowls with plenty of their flavorful broth. Top generously with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, squeeze fresh lemon over the top, and drizzle with more good olive oil.

Serve the garlic toast on the side for dipping and soaking up broth. The combination, hot brothy beans, garlicky greens, salty cheese, bright lemon, garlicky toast, is simple but incredibly satisfying.

One-Pot Simplicity

Once the beans are cooked, this entire dish comes together in one pot (the Dutch oven). That simplicity is part of its appeal for cozy nights in, you're not juggling multiple pans or complicated techniques. Just sauté greens and garlic, add beans and broth, simmer briefly, serve.

The minimal cleanup makes it even more appealing for weeknight cooking when you want good food without a pile of dishes.

Nutritious and Filling

This dish is genuinely nutritious, beans provide protein and fiber, kale adds vitamins and minerals, olive oil contributes healthy fats, Parmesan adds calcium. It's the kind of meal that leaves you satisfied without feeling heavy.

The combination of protein (beans), greens (kale), good fat (olive oil), and carbs (bread) makes it balanced and sustaining.

Cozy Night Perfection

What makes this ideal for cozy nights in is how it delivers comfort without requiring much from you. The technique is straightforward, the ingredients are mostly pantry staples (plus kale and bread), and the result is warming, satisfying, and nourishing.

It's the kind of meal you want when it's cold outside, when you're tired from the day, when you need something that feels like a hug in a bowl.

Adaptability

While the recipe is simple as written, you can adapt it:

• Use different greens: Swiss chard, escarole, spinach
• Add other vegetables: carrots, fennel, tomatoes
• Include protein: sausage, pancetta, chicken
• Vary the herbs: rosemary, sage, oregano
• Change the beans: Cannellini, Corona, Flageolet

The basic formula, beans cooked in flavorful liquid + greens + garlic + good bread, accommodates lots of variations.

Simple and Hearty

As the introduction promises, this recipe is "simple and hearty", exactly what you want for cozy nights in. It's proof that you don't need complicated recipes or fancy ingredients to create food that's genuinely satisfying and delicious.

Garlicky Yellow Beans With Greens

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Category

Main Course

Cuisine

Italian-Inspired

We've partnered with our friends at Great Jones to bring you a simple and hearty recipe that's perfect for cozy nights in.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Primary Beans dried Peruano beans

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• Suggested aromatics: 1 celery stalk, 1 shallot sliced lengthwise, 1 small yellow onion sliced lengthwise, 2 bay leaves, 1 small bunch thyme, 1 small head of garlic sliced lengthwise

• 4 cups high-quality chicken stock, preferably homemade

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the garlic bread and for serving

• 1 large bunch kale, stems removed and cut into bite size pieces

• 5 garlic cloves, separated

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• 4 thick slices country bread

• For serving: Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon, extra-virgin olive oil

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Directions

1. Cook beans according to the Primary Beans cooking guide with suggested aromatics, subbing 4 cups of water for chicken stock. Once cooked, set beans aside in their broth.

2. Slice 4 cloves of garlic. Place a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. When it shimmers, add kale and sliced garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until it softens, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add beans and their broth and stir well. Simmer on low for 5 more minutes to let the flavors meld and the broth thicken.

4. While beans are simmering, make the garlic toast: Brush one side of each piece of bread with olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Put the pan under the broiler for 2 minutes, so bread is nicely toasted. Rub remaining garlic clove over the bread, pushing firmly to release the juices.

5. Serve with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano, a squeeze of lemon, and more olive oil.