Bulgarian Oven-Baked Beans (Боб на Фурна)

A Bulgarian classic and family favorite.

I grew up eating this dish, and to this day it's something my mom makes quite often at home. Very easy to make, hardy, great hot or cold, as a side or main. Keeps well, and is easy to scale for large or small groups, and it's vegetarian friendly, but pairs really well with pork.

🎥You can watch my Instagram story of making this recipe here.

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Ingredients

The combination of spices, and savory in particular, are what makes this dish distinctively Bulgarian.

• 1 lb dry great northern beans

• 1 small white onion, chopped

• 1 jalapeño, stems cut off

• 2-3 garlic cloves (or more, I like more), whole but peeled

• 1 tsp savory or summer savory

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp mint

• 2 tsp salt

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil (I prefer sunflower or light-tasting olive oil)

• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce, or equivalent amount of tomato paste or finely diced fresh tomatoes

• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional, can substitute 1 tsp dry parsley)

• 6 cups water

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Preparation

1. Quick Soak the beans. Follow instructions on the package*

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

3. Combine all ingredients in a large, oven safe pot - I prefer to use my cast-iron dutch oven

4. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 1.5-2 hours, or until beans are soft but not mushy (depending on the beans, the oven, the elevation, I've gone as long as 3.5 hours, checking every 30 min to 1 hour)

5. Remove from the oven, let sit until cool

6. Recommend refrigerating overnight before enjoying the next day, so the beans thicken and the flavors blend

You can fish out the cooked jalapeño and garlic cloves prior to refrigerating, though some folks like to eat them and/or leave them in. I mash up the garlic, which is easy because it falls apart at this point, and mix it back in.

Note: the jalapeño should add flavor, but not much spice. However, if it turns out to be one of those nuclear jalapeño peppers and the whole bean dish seems super spicy fresh out of the oven, don't worry! Be sure to remove the peppers before cooling, then stir. It will mellow out a lot by the next day.

* Quick Soaking Beans

Generally goes something like this:

1. Rinse and sort the beans

2. Add 6-8 cups hot water for 1 lb (about 2 cups) of dry beans

3. Bring to a rapid boil, boil for 2 minutes

4. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour

5. Drain and rinse the beans

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Reference

Got this one from my mom, who always says "there's no recipe, you just combine everything and cook it until it's done" when I ask her for the recipe.