Corn-Simmered Brothy Beans
Brothy beans simmered with corn cobs, onion, garlic, and ancho chilies to get a delicious corn infused, rich, savory broth.
One of life’s simple pleasures is cooking a batch of beans from scratch. Easily 1000x better than anything canned, and it happens to be the perfect time of year to make a large batch that you can freeze for later. I promise, a recipe like this comes in handy in the most unexpected ways especially when you are sick and have no energy outside of reheating food.
Why You’ll Love These Brothy Beans Simmered with Corn
- Make ahead to nourish yourself when you need it. These beans can be portioned and frozen for later. Great especially for those days you need something warm and cozy when feeling unwell or low energy.
- A high fiber boost. Beans provide 9-11 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup cooked depending on the bean variety you are using. Use this to build a nourishing meal or as an appetizer to enjoy before a meal to help you hit your fiber goals.
- Budget-friendly. Learning to cook beans from scratch is one of the best skills you can learn. So use these cozier months to get in that bean making practice, so you can supplement your meals with something nourishing and filling.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beans: I like using dried white beans. For reference, I used cannellini beans. Dry beans like butter beans, navy beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas can also work, but be mindful the cook time will vary depending on the bean used and whether you soaked them or not.
- Aromatics: This includes yellow onion and garlic bulbs. If preferred, feel free to use red onion or shallots instead.
- Dried Chili Pepper: Adds more complexity and smokiness to the broth. I used a dried ancho chili. A fresh chili poked a few times with a knife can also work here too.
- Corn: Use fresh corn on the cob as we will need both the kernels and cobs.
- Herbs: I used a bay leaf and fresh thyme sprigs. You can use 1 tsp dry thyme as a swap.
- Cilantro: This is just my preference, so feel free to swap with parsley or chives if preferred!
- Olive Oil: Alternatively, any other neutral high heat oil can work if you don’t want to use olive oil.
How to Make Corn-Simmered Brothy Beans
Soak the beans: Clean and soak your beans for at least 2 hours (or overnight if preferred).
Prepare the vegetables:
- Onion: Cut in half lengthwise. Dice one of those halves and transfer to a bowl for later.
- Garlic: Cut in half crosswise to expose the cloves.
- Ancho Chili: Use kitchen shears to trim off the stem.
- Corn: Trim the kernels away from the cob. Transfer the kernels to a bowl, and set the cobs off to the side.
Caramelize the aromatics: To a heated pot with 2 tbsp oil, Place the onion half and garlic bulbs cut side down. Cook until the bottoms caramelize, about 3-4 mins. Add the chili pepper and sear for a few seconds on each side.
Simmer the beans: Add the drained beans, cobs, 8 cups of water, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, 2 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp more olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid and cook for 1 to 2 hours. Check the beans about every 30 mins, stirring briefly and adding more water if the beans are no longer submerged. Test a few beans to make sure they are cooked through.
Cook the corn: To a pan with oil, add the diced onion and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté for about 5 mins or until golden in color. Add the corn and toss together to combine. Cook undisturbed until the edges of the corn start to brown around the edges. Stir and cook again for 3 mins. Stir in the red pepper and a pinch of black pepper then remove the corn from heat. When cool, stir in the cilantro and set aside.
Serving the beans: Discard the ancho chili, garlic, onions (it’s okay if some of the inner pieces of onion slip into the pot), thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Taste the broth and stir in additional salt to taste. To serve, spoon the beans and broth in a serving bowl topped with a portion of the cooked corn on top. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper, extra cilantro, a squeeze of lemon, and enjoy with toasted bread.
Expert Tips
- Cooking time will vary depending on the age of the bean. Beans can survive a long time in your pantry, but the longer they sit there (like say the ones sitting in the back of your pantry for over 2 years), the longer they will take to cook. So just be mindful when choosing your beans.
- Make this with canned beans. When you get to step 4, just replace the soaked beans for 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans, use 1 tsp of salt, and add only 4 cups of water along with the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 40 minutes.
- Adding salt early will not toughen your beans. This is confirmed by American Test Kitchen and many years of cooking beans myself. The beans will gain more flavor as they will absorb some of that salt during the cooking process instead of just sitting in the liquid itself. If you are still spooked or convinced otherwise, feel free to salt them at the end.
Can the beans be frozen?
You get multiple servings out of a pound of beans, which makes them the perfect recipe to meal prep. Freeze the beans in individual portioned containers. I like to freeze 1 cup portions using Souper Cube Trays. Once frozen you can transfer the cubes to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, place a frozen or thawed portion in a saucepan or microwave and cook until warmed through.
What to Serve Your Beans With
Beans are packed with fiber, protein, and iron. To turn this into a more complete meal that will fully satisfy you, consider some of these additions:
- Top with some Marinated Red Cabbage Slaw to add some cruciferous vegetables
- Some Feta-Style Marinated Tofu sprinkled on top for extra protein
- Rice for some energizing carbohydrates and sliced avocado for some extra fiber and heart healthy fats
- Sourdough bread for slow digesting carbohydrates perfect for dunking (also works with some warm tortillas)
Watch Me Make This Recipe
Recipe videos provide a general idea for recipe preparation. Please read the full recipe instructions and notes for the most accurate recipe results.
More Fiber-Rich Meals
- Charred Corn Bean Salad with Zucchini Salsa
- Key Lime Cheesecake Chia Pudding
- Smashed Bean and Avocado Tostadas with Crispy Corn
- Marinated Antipasto bean Salad
- High Fiber Chickpea Rice
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
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Corn-Simmered Brothy Beans
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Soak Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Brothy beans simmered with corn cobs, onion, garlic, and ancho chilies to get a delicious corn infused, rich, savory broth.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry white beans (cannellini beans, navy beans, or butter beans)
- 3–4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 small heads of garlic
- 1 ancho chili
- 2 ears of corn, shucked
- 12 stems of fresh thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Spread the dry beans out on a flat surface and remove any rocks or debris. Rinse the beans well, then drain. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with fresh filtered water, ensuring the water is about 3 inches above the beans. Cover and soak for at least 2 hours (or overnight if preferred).
- Prepare the vegetables:
- For the onion, leave the root and skin intact and cut in half lengthwise. Keep one half of the onion as is for the beans, and dice the other half and transfer to a bowl for later.
- For the garlic, cut in half crosswise to expose the cloves.
- Using kitchen sheers, trim off and discard the stem of the ancho chili.
- For the corn, trim the kernels away from the cob. Transfer the kernels to a bowl, and set the cobs off to the side.
- Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place garlic bulbs and 1 onion half cut side down in the pan and allow to cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until the bottoms begin to caramelize. Add the chili pepper and sear for a few seconds on each side.
- Drain the beans and add them to the pot with the corn cobs, 9 cups of water, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, 2 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp more olive oil on top. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid and cook for 1 to 2 hours. During this time, check the beans about every 30 minutes, stirring briefly and adding more water if the beans are no longer fully submerged. To ensure the beans are fully cooked, test out at least 3 beans from different parts of the pot and press them to see if they are fully cooked through. If not, cook further and check again every 30 minutes.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion with a generous pinch of salt and sauté for about 5 minutes or until golden in color. Add the corn and toss together to combine. Spread the mixture out evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes or until the corn start to lightly brown around the edges. Stir the corn occasionally for an additional 3 minutes. Stir in the red pepper and a pinch of black pepper, then remove from heat. Allow the corn to cool then stir in the cilantro and set aside.
- Discard the ancho chili, garlic, onions (it’s okay if some of the inner pieces of onion slip out into the beans), thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Taste the broth and stir in additional salt to taste. To serve, spoon the beans and broth in a serving bowl topped with a portion of the cooked corn on top. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper, extra cilantro, a squeeze of lemon, and enjoy with toasted bread.
Notes
Cooking time will vary depending on the age of the bean. Beans can survive a long time in your pantry, but the longer they sit there (like say the ones sitting in the back of your pantry for over 2 years), the longer they will take to cook. So just be mindful when choosing your beans.
Make this with canned beans. When you get to step 4, just replace the soaked beans for 2 cans of drained and rinsed beans, use 1 tsp of salt, and add only 4 cups of water along with the other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 40 minutes.
Adding salt early will not toughen your beans. This is confirmed by American Test Kitchen and many years of cooking beans myself. The beans will gain more flavor as they will absorb some of that salt during the cooking process instead of just sitting in the liquid itself. If you are still spooked or convinced otherwise, feel free to salt them at the end.
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