On Wednesday morning, inspired by a Dinner, A Love Story post, I dumped half a pound of dried gigante beans into my crockpot followed by half a can of crushed tomatoes, a bay leaf, pepper flakes, water, smashed garlic, chopped onions, thyme, and a drizzle of olive oil. I whisked the kids off to soccer tots then to the bagel shop, and when we returned three hours later, the house smelled as if I had been working away all morning. Dried beans in the crockpot for the win! This is where the crockpot really excels: No browning required. No measuring required. The crockpot keeps the one-pot wonder simmering at the steadiest simmer, ensuring creamy, not mushy beans. How nice to be able to leave the house while a machine works away? And to have the oven and stovetop free should I feel like making bread or the children their favorite dinner. The beans cooked all day — they needed 8 hours in the pot — and when the dinner bell rang, I toasted bread, placed a slice in each of our bowls and ladled the stewy white beans overtop. With a few cracks of pepper and shavings of parmesan, dinner was served.
More Slow Cooker Bean Recipes to Try
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Apple SoupSimplest Slow Cooker Black BeansSlow Cooker Flageolets, GratinéedSimplest Slow Cooker Chickpeas
How to Make Gigante (or other white) Beans in the Slow Cooker
Here’s the play-by-play: Select your bean. I love gigante beans but they do take a long time to cook, anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, so plan ahead. Great Northern, Cannellini beans, Lima, or other white beans would all work here, and those varieties will cook in 6 to 8 hours. Also, if you get on the Rancho Gordo mailing list, they’ll let you know when they get beans (such as these Corona Beans) back in stock: Dump all of the ingredients into a slow cooker. (I never add pancetta anymore.) You can use whole peeled tomatoes — simply crush with your hands. Or use crushed tomatoes. Give everything a stir. Then cover the pot and cook on high heat for 8-12 hours. When done, the beans will be creamy and cooked through, and the broth will be plentiful. Ladle the stewy beans over a hunk of bread. Shave parmesan over top if you wish. Crack lots of pepper over top, too. 4.8 from 30 reviews If you don’t have a slow cooker, here’s my mother’s oven method. Beans: I love gigante beans but they are hard to find, and they’ve gotten so expensive. Use any white bean you like here. Cooking time will vary depending on the age and type of bean you are using. Note: You can soak the beans prior to cooking if you wish, and I recomm end doing so if you are using Gigante beans, but you do not have to. If you do soak, the cooking time may be shorter. Gigante beans take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, so plan ahead. I love these spooned over this oven-roasted polenta.
