How to Cook Cranberry Beans Without a Recipe

By day, Carla Lalli Music edits food features for Bon Appétit*, but at home she shuns instructions. Here’s how she feeds her friends and family while Cooking Without Recipes*.

In the cooler months, I’ll spend half of every Sunday in the kitchen, making big batches of soups and braises that we dip into throughout the week for family dinners. But when summer rolls around, I’m all about barely cooked, produce-heavy meals that come together quickly after a day spent outside.

You might not think that beans could fall into both categories, but I recently anchored a meal around fresh shelling beans from the farmers’ market, and decided they’re the best of both worlds. The hardest part of cooking them is the prep—not that it’s hard, but shelling beans just feels annoying. So I make my children do that part. With that out of the way, they cook in about 25 minutes, and almost all of that is hands-off.

Late summer is high season for shelling beans, so look for them now. You’re most likely to find cranberry (seen here, also known as borlotti) or cannellini. Though it's not intuitive, you want to choose pods that are actually well shriveled but still damp and pliable; the beans inside will be plump and mature and offer the best flavor.

The easiest way to cook them is to boil or simmer them in salted water, then drain and dress with a vinaigrette while they’re warm. You could do that. But I found that cooking them with garlic, herbs, and a little tomato gave them a ton of flavor, and by covering the pot while they cooked, there was plenty of steamy moisture to keep them from drying out.

START SIMPLE Sauté crushed whole garlic in good olive oil (be generous). Add sprigs of herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary, or oregano.

ADD BEANS Your kids took forever to shuck those beans, right? Mine too. Add the beans to the pot and season with salt and pepper.

THROW IN SOMETHING JUICY Tomatoes are in season (just sayin’). A splash of chicken stock or some water will work, too. You just need something to help conduct heat into the bean and encourage them to soften.

PUT A LID ON IT Lower the heat so the liquid is at a bare simmer, and cover the pot.

STIR, SOMETIMES Check the beans for tenderness and stir after 10 minutes. And again 10 minutes later.

FINISH A squeeze of lemon or splash of red wine vinegar will brighten things up, and I’m sure no one would complain if you dusted the tender beans with a little Parmesan. Chopped fresh herbs (whatever you added at the beginning) would be a great way to top these, too.