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Shallow bowl of creamy cannellini beans with sage leaves and olive oil beside toasted bread on a wooden table

Fagioli al Fiasco: Slow-Baked Tuscan Flask Beans with Sage

Soaked cannellini beans slow-bake with garlic, sage, tomato, and olive oil in a covered Dutch oven for 90 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 10 hours
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian (Tuscan)
Calories: 259
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g dried cannellini beans soaked 8 to 12 hours, drained
  • 700 ml cold water for baking, plus 1.5 L for soaking
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil / 60 ml; for the pot
  • 4 garlic cloves whole, lightly crushed
  • 8 fresh sage leaves
  • 150 g canned whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand with their juice
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt adjust at the end
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil / 15 ml; raw, for finishing

Method
 

  1. Rinse 300 g dried cannellini beans and pick out any stones. Cover with 1.5 L cold water in a bowl and soak for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. Drain and discard the soaking water.
  2. Heat the oven to 150 C / 300 F with a rack in the lower third. Lightly crush the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife and crush the tomatoes by hand.
  3. Put the drained beans in a 3-quart / 2.8 L Dutch oven (22 cm / 9-inch) with 700 ml cold water, 4 tbsp oil, garlic, sage, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, about 10 minutes, and skim off any foam.
  4. Press a sheet of parchment over the surface, cover with the lid, and bake for 90 minutes without stirring. The beans are done when one mashes easily between your fingers, tastes creamy at the center, and the liquid is loose and glossy. If the centers are chalky, the beans are old, so bake 15 to 20 minutes more.
  5. Take the pot out and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt, stir in the remaining 1 tbsp raw olive oil, and serve warm with some of the cooking liquid.

Notes

  • Soak the beans at least 8 hours and discard the soaking water before cooking.
  • Cannellini contain a natural lectin that causes nausea when the beans are undercooked.
  • Cook until a bean mashes easily between your fingers to remove that risk.
  • Don't use a glass wine flask in a home oven, since it can crack from direct heat.
  • Let the beans rest 10 minutes covered so the liquid thickens before you season.