The Poor Man’s Beans is a super economical, quick, and delicious recipe. As the name suggests, it is a humble dish that my great-grandmother (and later my grandmother) often prepared many years ago when she needed to provide a hot, tasty, and nutritious meal, but economic resources didn’t allow for buying meat or fish, or when there wasn’t much at home. With very little, the whole family gathered at the table, some bread, even stale or hard, and dinner was ready. I admit I’ve never made them before, but I must say they’re truly delicious! Poor Man’s Beans are creamy, warm, and flavorful, ready in just a few minutes, and obviously you can’t miss a good bit of bread, bruschetta, or croutons to dip. I’m sure you’ll love them too!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 18 oz canned cannellini beans
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste oregano
Steps
Poor Man’s Beans are very simple and quick to prepare, first put 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan and brown the chopped garlic clove, add the cooked and well-drained cannellini beans and let them brown for a minute.
Add the water, a little salt, and stir, cover with a lid and cook the Poor Man’s Beans for 20 minutes.
When cooking is complete, plate the Poor Man’s Beans and season them with a little black pepper, oregano, some pieces of garlic, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Notes:
Poor Man’s Beans can be kept at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge for a couple of days. If you prefer, you can also sauté the whole garlic clove and remove it at the end of cooking, or you can choose not to add any raw garlic after plating.
More recipes with beans HERE

