Lemon Broccoli with Beans & Bacon: Easy great northern beans recipe! (2024)

Lemon Broccoli with Beans and Bacon is an easy great northern beans recipe with roasted broccoli, chewy-crisp bites of bacon, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It’s humble, yet stunning!

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Lemon Broccoli with Beans and Bacon

We had such pretty natural light to work with, that day when my friend Amanda came over to share a day in our kitchen. It was overcast, yet bright. And a calm, quiet snowfall the night before had left 8″ of soft, fluffy, sparkly snow outside the window. It was the perfect reflector of light. A food blogger’s dream lighting scenario.

We poured cups of fresh-brewed coffee and then started pulling out dishes and ingredients we had collected for our day of cooking together. While chatting and catching up, I found the tension of the early morning dash to get kids dressed and fed and their lunch boxes packed…all fading away.

If you know Amanda from Heartbeet Kitchen, then you know all too well what a joy she is to be around. Amanda’s smile and tinkly laughter, coupled with her warm and charmingly chatty personality, always put me at ease.

We made Lemon Broccoli with Beans and Bacon that day, a stunning yet humble kind of dish. With a short ingredient list, it relies onsimple, fresh flavors that let every component shine.

After Amanda and I finished taking our photos, we sat down to enjoy our tasty creation together. And I just have to say, it turned out to be one of the very best broccoli recipes. We also discovered that this dish goes splendidly with a chilled glass of bubbly Prosecco. So, Cheers! To friendship and fabulous food!

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An Easy Great Northern Beans Recipe

It was Amanda who prompted our day of cooking together. Food blogging can be rather solitary, as you’re mostly working from home, either sitting behind a computer or creating dishes in the kitchen. So I welcomed her idea with open arms.

She brainstormed a short list of ingredients to include broccoli, lemon, and white beans – which are also called great northern beans.

What are great northern beans?

Great northern beansare white medium-sizedbeans, larger than navybeans and smaller than cannellini beans.They are delicately flavored and most commonly used when making bakedbeansand “pork andbeans”. The beans are available dried, canned, and less commonly, fresh. You can easily substitute this bean in any recipe that calls for whitebeans.

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My contribution to the kitchen party was a slab of thick-cut double-smoked bacon from our local Hagberg’s butcher shop. It is The Best Bacon. I like to keep a package or two in our freezer for whenever we’re needing that ultimate bacon fix.

Although not a part of our original thinking for this recipe, I was certain that Amanda would not oppose my last-minute addition to the ingredient list.

We chopped up the bacon and then fried it in a skillet, along with some fresh shallots and garlic. The kitchen smelled so wonderful. There was no way to resist our snitching hot, salty bites from the skillet.

Like bacon, too? Here are a few more recipes with bacon: Breakfast Egg Salad with Bacon is a fun twist on traditional egg salad. Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza Rolls always disappear FAST. And this Tuna Guacamole Sandwich with Bacon makes a fantastic lunch!

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The Best Way to Cook Broccoli

This dish is best when the broccoli is beautifully charred. The crispy edges lend a fabulous layer of texture against the creamy beans and chewy-crisp bacon.

To accomplish this, place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.

Once the oven reaches 375° Fahrenheit, remove the hot baking sheet and spread the broccoli florets out on it. Dress the broccoli very simply with only olive oil and kosher salt, and then gently fold it altogether.

Then place the broccoli in the oven. It won’t take long for the broccoli to emerge perfectly caramelized against the hot pan.

Roasted broccoli is my favorite way to eat broccoli!

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This dish’s simplicity will try to fool you into thinking it’s so much more.

There’s incredible texture and flavor when roasted broccoli florets, salty bacon pieces, creamy white beans, and bright, fresh lemon juice come together. It’s almost too simple to be true!

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The earthy colors and range of textures. They get me every time.

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If you, like me, keep a package of your favorite bacon in the freezer “for emergencies”, then you’re not far from enjoying this easy meal at your own table. With white beans, shallots, and garlic – always in our pantry – this dish comes together quickly and easily.

For a simple, no-fuss kind of meal, just serve this lemon broccoli with beans and bacon straight from the skillet. Because really, the only things that really matter are the meal’s deliciousness and comfort, and who’s beside you at the table.

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I had such a beautiful day with Amanda. Be sure to check out her own take on this day and recipe – and look her up on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

Like this recipe? Save it to Pinterest!

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A few more broccoli recipes for you! Coconut Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Rice Bowls from love & olive oil. Lightened-Up Broccoli Salad from greens & chocolate. And Simply Scalloped Potatoes with Broccoli from Southern Bite.

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Lemon Broccoli with Beans and Bacon

Yield: 4 servings

prep time: 20 minutes mins

cook time: 35 minutes mins

total time: 55 minutes mins

I love all the fresh flavors and textures of this dish. There's white beans, roasted broccoli, chewy-crisp bites of bacon, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It's humble, yet stunning!

4.4 Stars (54 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

  • 1 small head broccoli cut into florets (about 3/4 pound)
  • 1-1/2 T. olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ lb. thick-cut bacon cut into small matchsticks or 1/2″ size pieces
  • 1 15- oz. can white beans drained
  • 1 medium shallot chopped
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • ½ medium lemon
  • 2 T. minced fresh parsley
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

Instructions

  • Place a large rimmed baking sheet in lower half of oven and preheat oven to 375° F. Once oven is preheated, remove heatedpan and spread broccoli florets out on it. Drizzle broccoli with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and toss just a bit to combine. Return pan to oven and roast for 15 minutes. Toss broccoli and roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until broccoli is just softened and nicely caramelized and charred. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

  • While broccoli is roasting, heat a medium-large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Fry bacon pieces, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crispy on the edges but still mostly chewy. Once most of the fat has rendered from the bacon, drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet.

  • Add shallot to skillet and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shallot has softened. Stir in garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until garlic is softened and fragrant. Add roasted broccoli and beans, folding to combine.

  • Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle fresh lemon juice over the top, followed by lemon zest, parsley, and a bit of freshly ground black pepper.Servehot or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 473kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 28g Fat: 27g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g Cholesterol: 56mg Sodium: 1479mg Fiber: 7g Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!

© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Cuisine: American

Course: Dinner Ideas

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This post was originally published in 2016. I updated some of the photos and text in 2020.

Lemon Broccoli with Beans & Bacon: Easy great northern beans recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Are Great Northern beans the same as baked beans? ›

Great Northern Beans are what builds traditional Boston baked beans. Flavored with three sweeteners: maple syrup, brown sugar and molasses. Precook the Great Northern Beans to tender for proper results.

How long to boil Great Northern beans? ›

Great Northern beans: 45-60 minutes. Kidney beans: 90-120 minutes. Navy beans: 90-120 minutes. Pinto beans: 90-120 minutes.

Which taste better navy beans or great northern beans? ›

The answer to this comes down to personal preference. Navy and Great Northern beans are similar in most ways. They have similar flavor profiles, nutritional values, cook times, and cost. The only slight differences are their shape and size.

What's the difference between white navy beans and Great northern beans? ›

Navy beans excel in hearty and prolonged cooking, while great northern beans shine in delicate and shorter cooking applications. However, both beans offer versatility and can be used interchangeably in various recipes, depending on personal preference and availability—many people with not notice the subtle differences.

Do Great northern beans have to be soaked before cooking? ›

Doing without soaking does increase beans' cooking time — but for most varieties that's only by a matter of 20 to 30 minutes, and that's unaccompanied time anyway. Black beans, pinto beans, Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, they all cook without a whiff of trouble.

What happens if you don't soak Great northern beans? ›

If you're the impatient, bean-hungry type, you can cook your beans from dry without any soaking at all. Here's the thing: Beans that have not been soaked ahead of time will always take longer to cook, but they will, indeed, cook.

Should you soak Great northern beans before you cook them? ›

Bean Soaking Recommendations

The general recommendations for each bean type vary. For instance, if you are making black beans, you should soak them for 4 hours, whereas great northern beans should soak for much longer – 8-12 hours.

What kind of beans are Bush's baked beans? ›

The beans that are met with smiles at any gathering. Bush's® Original Baked Beans are a Secret Family Recipe of navy beans slow-cooked with specially cured bacon, fine brown sugar and our signature blend of spices.

What is another name for Great northern beans? ›

Great northern, also called "large white" beans, are larger than navy beans as well, but smaller than cannellini beans. They have a flattened shape similar to lima beans and a delicate flavor.

What beans are closest to Great Northern? ›

Cannellini beans are commonly used in Italian dishes like cozy minestrone, and because they hold their shape well when cooked, they're a favorite in soups and stews. Like Great Northerns, Cannellini beans cook creamy and smooth with a nutty flavor.

What type of bean is a baked bean? ›

Beans used for Baked Beans

Navy beans, also known as Haricot Beans, are the beans used in commercially produced canned baked beans. They are white beans that are slightly smaller than Cannellini beans. However, any small to medium beans will work just fine here. They don't even need to be white!

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