Serbian baked beans with caramelized onions (prebranac)
White beans baked under a thick layer of sweet, paprika-stained caramelized onions until the top turns crusty, a Balkan comfort dish that makes a lot from very little.
- 80 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.43 a serving
- 320 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 3 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
- 6 slices sourdough bread, for serving (optional)
- 6 dill pickles, for serving (optional)
From your pantry
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Each serving has about 320 calories, 15 g protein, 44 g carbs and 10 g fat, and costs about $1.43 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No sourdough bread? French bread works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Heat the oil in a large over medium heat. Add the onions and of salt and cook, stirring every few minutes, 15 to 20 minutes, until soft and .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 17 min
Dolly’s tip: Low and patient is the trick. If they start to scorch, turn the heat down and add a splash of water.Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then the paprika, smoked paprika and pepper flakes for 20 seconds.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Paprika burns quickly, so have the broth ready to pour right after.Pour in the broth and stir, .
Scrape up the browned bits. It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.
Medium heat
Stir in the beans, the rest of the salt and the pepper, tuck in the bay leaves, and pour everything into a 2-quart baking dish.
uncovered 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and the top is and a little crusty.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 42 min
Let it rest 10 minutes, fish out the bay leaves, and scatter parsley over the top. Serve with bread and pickles.
Timer: 10 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
