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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 (1/3 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.

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!

Great Northern Beans with Tomatoes

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

A delicious and very budget-friendly side or main dish.

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried great Northern beans
• 7 cups water
• 1/4 lb. salt pork
• 2 rosemary stalks
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tblsp. dark corn syrup
• 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, lightly drained

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Remove the rosemary stalks before serving.

Notes

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Related 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

Other great northern bean recipes you might enjoy:

• 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
• Sausage and Kale Cassoulet from Budget Bytes
• Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans from Simply Recipes
• White Bean, White Ale, and Ham Soup from The Beeroness

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