Rosemary and Garlic White Beans
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This creamy braised white beans recipe has become our new favorite side dish.
It’s a copycat recipe of the beans at Zoe’s Kitchen restaurant, and it also doubles as an appetizer when served with toasted baguette slices.
If you’re not familiar with Zoe’s Kitchen, it’s a small restaurant chain (primarily in the Eastern and Southern states), known for it’s simple, fresh Greek fare.
My family loves a lot of things at Zoe’s Kitchen, but our hands down favorite is the rosemary braised white beans. The first time I brought them home as a side dish, we all fought over the tiny little take-out container. Since then, I’ve learned to order triples of the white beans whenever I get takeout from Zoe’s.
The other night, as I watched my daughters happily gobble down their beloved rosemary beans, it dawned on me that I should start making them myself. Turns out, it wasn’t hard at all to create a perfect copycat recipe of Zoe’s beans.
We tend to get stuck in a “side dish” rut with the same-old-same-old starchy staples like rice, potatoes and corn. These beans are a little unexpected, and a welcome addition to our dinner routine.
The amazing thing about these braised white beans is that they taste really creamy and decadent despite containing no cream at all (just like our beloved pasta e fagioli soup). In fact, I used vegetable broth in this recipe, so it’s completely vegan.
All it takes is about 15 minutes on the stove, and the broth will start to thicken up, resulting in a deliciously creamy texture.
Can you make this recipe with dry beans?
Of course! I totally advocate making beans “from scratch” when you can, by soaking dry beans overnight and then cooking them for hours in the slow cooker or in a large pot on the stove. But sometimes you just want to throw a quick dinner together on a busy night, and so I wrote this recipe using canned cannellini beans.
I chose cannellini beans because I like the texture and size, but you can experiment with whatever white beans you’ve got on hand.
In less than 30 minutes, and with only a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a totally delicious, unique and nutritious side dish that pairs perfectly with any sort of protein. You might want to double the recipe in case your family loves these as much as mine does. Serve the beans over rice, or just eat them all by themselves.
White Bean Appetizer Idea
These rosemary white beans are delicious on top of crostini. Just serve on top slices of baguette that have been brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven.
You could even add a little slice of prosciutto if you want to get fancy. :)
Rosemary Garlic White Beans (Zoe’s Kitchen Copycat Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a saucepan in a thin layer of olive oil. Add shallots and cook for several minutes, until soft.
- Add garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Stir and cook for about 2-3 more minutes.
- Add beans and broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until the liquid begins to thicken.
- Add salt to taste. (I typically use about a half tsp of kosher salt.)
- Serve alone or over rice.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
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38 Comments on “Rosemary and Garlic White Beans”
I made these for the first time last night and they were so easy and so good! Tasted just like Zoe’s. I made them with chicken and asparagus, but I could have eaten the beans as the main dish.
Great texture. I will increase the amount of seasoning next time, especially the rosemary.
Wonderful and delicious addition to our diet. Thank you
I used dry northern beans and simmered them in chicken broth for a few hours instead of vegetable both. It was delicious.
This is a simple and hearty dish! Prepared it as written and it turned out perfect! Wonderful dish for a chilly evening!!
Sooo good! My 9 year old son LOVES the beans at Zoe’s and he inhaled these!
I had them at Zoe’s Kitchen and loved them. Thank you for the recipe. They were delicious!
Put it over pulled chicken and rice and it was amazing! So easy to make!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just made these and added some kielbasa….WOW!!! Cannot believe how flavorful they are! So easy and delicious! I will be many these MANY times again! Thanks for sharing!
I cannot wait to make this! It looks so easy and DELICIOUS! Great recipe!
I’m using dry great northern beans. They have been cooking all night in the slow cooker. I was wondering if I could just drain the cooked beans add the cooked shallots and herbs back to the crock pot to finish. I just wasn’t sure if they would thicken enough in the crockpot. I would love to know what you think, Thanks Kindly
Hi Kerry. If they aren’t thickening enough, you can remove some of the means, mash them, and return them to the pot. That usually helps!
Can’t wait to make these.
When I go to the restaurant I also order the roasted veggies and ask them. To put it all together in a larger bowl. Delicious. And a very thrifty lunch!
What if you dont have shallots on hand? What would be a good substitute?
You could use onion, or just omit it and it will still be tasty.
This sounds amazing and perfect for my family BBQ. What do you suggest for preparing this in my slow cooker?
Hi Ellen. I would prepare it on stovetop first and then just put it in the slow cooker on low to stay warm. Since the beans are already cooked, they don’t really need cooking time in the slow cooker.
These are the kind of beans I love. Beautiful flavor pairings with garlic, rosemary and oregano. It would work also really well with chicken as a side.
Yes! We typically eat them with grilled chicken or salmon. They go with pretty much any protein!
I LOVE zoe’s kitchen! But I’ve never tried the white beans there so I can’t wait to make these at home! I’m sure they’re perfect!
Comfort food for sure. Love how you’ve made these in to a great appetizer.
These sound super delicious – I’ve never tried the original from Zoe’s but I could definitely see everyone in my house loving these!
These beans look so comforting. I want to dip a big bit of crusty bread in to them. D
A girl after my own heart…crusty bread makes everything better, right?
I prefer using dried beans over canned, but I’m not at all clear how long to plan for them to cook in this recipe, or if there are any other alterations I would need to make.
Dawn
I made this tonight and it took much longer to thicken than the recipe says. It took an hour before they were ready.
I didn’t have that issue, but it might have to do with the brand of beans used? I’ll experiment and let you know if I figure out the problem.
Mine also didn’t thicken… so I added some mashed potato and I thought it was delicious! :)
Since I came across Zoe’s about a year ago it has become my favorite place to grab some lunch with my daughters and their braised white beans are something I always choose. So happy to have come this recipe and your blog. I have already prepped the ingredients to prepare it when my roasted chicken is closer to being done. Looking forward to that first bite! Thank you.
There are so many beautiful ingredients in your recipe — and I love how well they must blend together. It sounds so warming and tasty!
I love this and bean soups are welcomed in my family. The idea of doubling it as an appetizer too is awesome.
I would love to tackle this on weekend, this is perfect for the cold, chilly weather.
Love love this! I can eat this all the time! A big robust dish with so many flavors!
I have never had the original, but I love the sound of these! Rosemary is such a tasty, pretty herb to cook with, and this sounds like a healthy, comforting, delicious dish.
I substituted shallots for red onion and added chicken stock and lemon juice came out soo good. might just add chicken and call it soup. yum :)
Love this! I added shitake mushrooms which were a great addition – I think!? (though I have to admit, I have not tried it without mushrooms yet)!
I love cannellini beans in any form! I will be making this soon!