Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes is a delicious and budget-friendly side or main dish.
Dried beans are a staple in my kitchen. You can store them in their dried state indefinitely - literally years.
And they are very budget friendly. For just a few cents you can serve your whole family a delicious recipe featuring dried beans.
Plus they're really good for you. A serving (⅓ cup cooked of most varieties) has about 80 calories and counts as part of your "5 a day" of fruits and veggies. They have no cholesterol, loads of complex carbs, and no fat.
They also have lots of fiber and are a good source of protein making them a great meatless main dish.
I recently pulled out a bag of great northern beans that I'm sure had been in my pantry for at least three years. They were in perfect condition.
I combined them with a few other pantry staples and a few sprigs of rosemary from the backyard (it's a perennial here) and came up with this very delicious recipe for Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes.
I served the beans with some grilled chicken and a side salad, but it would be just as delicious as your main course with some cornbread hot from the oven.
Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes is a delicious and budget-friendly side or main dish.
How to Make Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes
Rinse and pick over the beans. And, yes, you really should do this. Dried beans are actually a raw agricultural product and you may on rare occasions find a tiny pebble or stray piece of grass in the bag. You don't want anyone biting down on a rock at the table.
Place the beans in a deep pot or Dutch oven with the water, salt pork (substitute bacon if you like), and rosemary stalks. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 2 hours. Add more water during cooking if needed to keep the beans moist.
Remove the salt pork and add the remaining ingredients. Bring back to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and the beans are tender. Remove the rosemary stalks before serving.
Enjoy!
More Bean Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:
- Beans on Toast
- Red Beans and Rice
- BBQ Beans
- Pinto Beans with Fresh Tomato Relish
- Slow Cooker White Beans with Smoked Ham Hocks
Great Northern Bean Recipes from Other Bloggers:
- New Orleans Style White Beans from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
- Crock Pot Ham Bone and Bean Soup from 101 Cooking for Two
- White Bean Chicken Chili from She Wears Many Hats
- Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans from Simply Recipes
- White Bean, White Ale, and Ham Soup from The Beeroness
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Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried great Northern beans
- 7 cups water
- ¼ lb. salt pork
- 2 rosemary stalks
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp dark corn syrup
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes lightly drained
Instructions
- Rinse and pick over the beans.
- Place in a deep pot or Dutch oven with the water, salt pork, and rosemary stalks.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat to a steady simmer and cook for 2 hours adding more water if needed to keep beans moist.
- Remove the salt pork and add the remaining ingredients. Bring back to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed and beans are tender.
- Remove the rosemary stalks before serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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Lana Stuart is the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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Elaine McManus
When do you add the tomatoes? It doesn’t say in the directions.
Lana Stuart
Add them in step 4 where it says to add the remaining ingredients.
Suzanna C Koizumi
Wouldn't it make more sense to use slightly less water than to drain off some of the tomato product? I would make this without any pork product. I do like the thought of one tablespoon of dark syrup. I will make this for a meatless meal.
Miss P
I am inspired! Beans tomorrow.
Miss P
Pass2succeed
Fantastic! Delicious! The flavors mesh so well and this recipe is so simple. Enjoyed it throughly.
Liz
Thank you Lana. I love these beans.