Creamy White Beans With Pecorino and Pancetta
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:3 to 4 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 4ounces pancetta, sliced into batons
- 5garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- 3(15-ounce) cans white beans, drained
- 2tablespoons lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
- ½cup/1¾ ounces grated Pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
- 1teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½cup hot water
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
592 calories; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 31 grams protein; 1477 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until some of the fat has rendered and the pancetta is starting to crisp, about 5 minutes. (Add a splash of water if the pancetta threatens to burn before the fat renders.) Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the pancetta is crisped and brown and the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Increase the heat to medium-high, stir in the beans and lemon juice, and cook, stirring, until the beans are hot, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the Pecorino, black pepper and hot water. Stir vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, topped with more pepper and Pecorino.
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Cooking Notes
blba
This was truly greater than the sum of its parts. I sautéed baby kale with the garlic and pancetta before adding in the beans, to add some more green to the dish.
Jonathan
How on earth does a dish come together this quickly and still taste so good. Absolutely loved it. To be fair, I was missing a key ingredient (pancetta or bacon) but proceeded anyway with little chunks of ground pork sausage because I couldn’t wait. Using a higher heat at first to make the outside of the pork a bit crispy, then lowering the heat and proceeding as written. Can’t wait to make again — but the proper way, with pancetta
Claire
These beans are bangin. No notes.
Zuzu
Don't know what's wrong with my Dutch oven, but I can't add garlic to a hot one for 5 whole minutes. More like 90 seconds. I've made this recipe for years, adding kale, red pepper flakes and a splash of white wine before the beans go in. Eats rich, costs little, reminds of an autumn day in Italy.
Dennis Chiapello
Cooking for one, I scaled this down for a single can of beans but didn't fret too much about measuring the other ingredients. "Less than half" is a good working definition of one third in this type of dish. It turned out delicious and only barely over salted. The lemon juice is important.
Cailín
Cooked a pot of white beans* with the intention of making ribollita. I had the cooked beans added to sauteed pancetta, garlic, diced fennel, onion and carrot on the stove, but the volume was too much allow adding broth to make a soup (and allow room for the kale as well). So dinner was a bowl of these beans with grated parmesan on top. Wonderful combination. Leftovers will become ribollita. *Buy good quality beans: I used Rancho Gordo Marcella beans and highly recommend them.
Michelle
To those having issues with emulsifying - try pouring the (very) hot water onto the (finely grated) cheese before adding to the beans.
a4george
Cooked exactly as described except fried up some sage leaves in olive oil and added those and some minced lemon confit as the garnish along with extra olive oil, black pepper, and pecorino. So quick, so delicious.
lynn
this is a keeper! it’s just me, so i scaled down and subbed with what i had: 1 can beans 1 ounce guanciale 2 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon lemon juice an ounce or so of grated reg parm had some fennel tea in the fridge; heated and subbed for water tossed in the handful of baby kale i found in the back of the fridge
Colleen
We loved these. They turned out soup-ier than the recipe photo depicts, but this was no issue for us! My one caution is to add the lemon slowly, tasting as you go.
Mimi
I always have everything in the pantry or fridge, except sometimes the pancetta. The pancetta is best but I've made it with bacon and I've also used mushrooms one time when there was nothing else in the fridge (fried in butter instead of oil with the garlic). It's always good. I like to mash the beans a bit before serving on buttered toast. This is a go-to dinner when I get home on a cold day to an empty fridge and don't feel like going out to the shops.
KD
Really excellent! I only had dried beans, so I cooked them in the pressure cooker first. Super easy and really flavorful. We served it with polenta. Yum!
CElisa
My SUPER picky 6 year old who the night before rejected the pineapple pizza he requested because the pineapple wasn't stuck to the pizza shoveled this into his mouth declaring, "This can be my back up food. When there's not other food available like mac and cheese or pizza. When there's NOTHING else I can eat this. It's not that this is super good, it's that I am super hungry. All the while inhaling it. Creamy beans for the win!!!
Jason
Super great, and so easy. Without reading the comments prior to cooking, I thought “some kale I need to use would be good in this” and boy was it! Seeing the recommendation for a little red pepper flake and white wine would really work too. Great with a piece of crusty, toasted, buttered bread. Regarding the note about “good pancetta” and not using pre-diced. Go with what you can find; it will be ok. Stop the pancetta shaming.
Linda Peterson
Well, it was quick but that’s as far as I’m willing to go. Silky sauce to some, but gummy beans to me. Better off using pasta, a la the original pasta a la gricia recipe.
Kate in Minnesota
This is fantastic! I added a sprig of rosemary and a splash of white wine. Added a dash of EVVO into my bowl. Thank you!
jil
I made this with butter beans that I cooked, and added kale as others suggested. Good flavor, but I think I missed out on the creaminess with the kale addition. Next time I'll prepare kale on the side.
Deb
Add thyme
Em
Go easy on the lemon next time
Delilah7
THIS. DISH. I mean why can’t I give it another 5 stars every time I make it. IT’S THAT GOOD. This time I tripled the garlic, sliced up almost one full bunch of celery and sautéed it was the pancetta, added a sprig of rosemary and a tablespoon of better than bullion w the water and let it simmer away. One of the easiest, quickest, most delicious-est. MAKE IT. EAT IT.
Jordan
Don’t put the garlic in with the bacon or else the garlic will fry with the bacon and turn bitter. Why not a little white wine?
cathy dellinger
Fabulous dish. Quick, perfect as written with room to play around if you choose to. Cooked up some Rancho Gordo Royal Corona beans that were buttery and so good, but I could definitely see canned beans working too. Added some sweet Italian sausage to up along with the pancetta. “Chefs Kiss.” Unpretentious and perfect for a subzero northern Vermont night.
Andy Robinson
In a skillet. use 6oz of thick bacon and throw in 5 big cloves of garlic thinly sliced. A table spoon of dried herbs - oregano, sage. Use any white beans, tinned cannellini beans is fine. 3 tins is for two people with a portion left over. Use lots of parm and then sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. important: brown under the grill like a cassoulet. Side: hammer broccoli rabe with an anchovy and chili flakes. In summer, just serve the rabe like a salad. dress with good oil
mel
Delicious! I might have added the butter beans too early because they got a little mushy. I might add them after I vigorously stir the pot. Excellent with toasted piece of sourdough and some peppery arugula
Vanessa
How could you make this with dried beans?
Match
Either soak the beans overnight as you usually would, or/and you could do the slow cooker version on here. Search for "Slow-Cooker Butter Beans With Pecorino and Pancetta."
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