First soak your beans
I’ve used dried cannellini beans here but the recipe is the same for dried kidney beans.
Soak beans in enough cold water to cover them by 5-6 centimetres for 6 hours. It’s so much easier to soak them overnight. Put them in a bowl, cover with water and walk away.
If you forget to soak the beans the night before, you can use the quick-soak method: Place beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 8 centimetres or so, bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 hours.
Ingredients
- 500 g dried canellini beans
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, diced finely
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- tiny pinch of salt
Method
- Drain the beans and place them in your slow cooker.
- Add onion, garlic, and thyme.
- Pour warm water over, to cover
- Cook, covered, on high until beans are tender, 4 to 5 hours.
- Add salt, cover, and cook for a further 15 minutes
It’s fine to freeze surplus cooked beans for later use in soups, salads and dips.