Baked beans with greens, dill, and yogurt

For those of you who love one-dish dinners that don't compromise on complexity of flavor, this one’s for you. Inspired by Greece’s way with beans, this recipe uses a traditional technique: you cook down aromatics and greens right in the oven before adding the beans and their broth. Two bunches of greens may seem like a lot, but they will wilt down. We absolutely love what dill does to this dish as it cooks. This is a recipe you'll come back to again and again.

Which beans to use? Beans with a delicate earthy or nutty flavor that hold their shape, such as Alubia, Flageolet, or Ayocote Blanco.   

Print recipe here

The details

• Serves: 4-6
• Time: 30 minutes (plus bean cooking) 
• Cookware: large baking dish or oven proof pot, bean cooking vessel of your choice 

What you’ll need

The beans

• ½ lb dried beans (makes ~3-½ cups cooked), flavored with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, ¾ tsp coarse salt

The rest

• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp red chile flakes
• 2 bunches Swiss chard or spinach, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped (well-rinsed)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• ½ bunch dill, leaves and tender stems only, coarsely chopped
• Bay leaf

Steps

Prepare the beans: Cook beans according to our guide in the cooking vessel of your choice. Once cooked, strain the beans, reserving broth.  

Bake the aromatics: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scatter onions, garlic, and red chile flakes across baking dish or oven proof pot. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake until onions are lightly caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.

Bake the greens: Once cooked, add greens, 1 cup of bean broth, a generous pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Stir well to coat and bake until greens are wilted, ~15 minutes for chard, and less time for spinach.

Assemble: Add beans, dill, and bay leaf to the mixture, with about 1 cup of bean broth. Stir well to coat and drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, checking every 10-15 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid so that greens don’t dry out. When done, beans should be coated in a thick broth but not watery. Bake a little longer if necessary. Serve warm (not hot).

We imagine this with…

Lots of Greek yogurt, lemon, and good olive oil. Flaky sea salt. Crusty bread. Salad of heirloom tomatoes, barrel-aged feta, red onion, and kalamata olives.

Slightly adapted from The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert (Harper Collins, 1994).