The Ridiculously Flavorful 10-Minute Canned Bean Trick I’ve Made Too Many Times to Count

I cook beans a lot. Like a lot a lot. In a fantasy world I would have the time and enough advanced planning to be cooking dried beans from scratch (soaked overnight and simmered low and slow over a period of several hours). Unfortunately, I do not live in that fantasy, and most of the time I just need to get food on the table. 

I have a go-to method for weeknight beans that takes about 30 minutes, but sometimes even that is too much. Sometimes I just need an easy bean side that’s lightning fast. So whether I’m whipping up some quick tacos or throwing some chicken in a skillet, I turn to my method for making a batch of canned beans that’s super flavorful and ready in about 10 minutes.

The key to getting a ton of fresh flavor into canned beans in a short time is sofrito. Sofrito is a mix of chopped vegetables and aromatics that serves as the flavorful base for many dishes in Latin American cuisine. It’s typically made with a mix of onions, garlic, peppers, and cilantro. For this cheater version, I just use cilantro and garlic, which add a ton of flavor to the beans all on their own. 

A few sprigs of cilantro and 1 clove of garlic is all you need for a single can of beans (although I am a garlic monster and often use two cloves). Place the cilantro (with stems, no need to pick leaves for this), and the garlic on a cutting board in a little pile and sprinkle them with a big pinch of kosher salt. The abrasive salt helps break down the garlic into a paste and tame its assertive flavor. Next I use a sharp chef’s knife to chop the herbs and garlic down very very fine, almost to the consistency of a paste. This simple flavor-packed paste is all you’ll need to make a mouth-watering pot of beans.

1. Make a super-quick sofrito. Use a chef’s knife to very finely chop 1 clove of garlic and a few sprigs of cilantro (with stems) sprinkled with a big pinch of kosher salt into a paste-like consistency for each (15-ounce) can of beans.
2. Sauté the sofrito. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a saucepan or small skillet. Add the sofrito and cook over low heat until the garlic is fragrant and the cilantro has turned bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Cook gently here, as you want the garlic and herbs to bloom and release their flavor into the oil, but not to brown.
3. Add the beans. I usually drain the beans, but not everyone feels that’s necessary. If you opt to drain them, add about 2 tablespoons of water, broth, or tomato sauce to the pan for the beans to simmer in.
4. Simmer. At this point you just need to cook the beans long enough for them to warm through, about five minutes. Feel free to leave them simmering for a few extra minutes, if you’re still cooking other elements of the meal. Five minutes is the minimum, not the max. I just keep them at a very low simmer until I’m ready for them, whether that’s five minutes or 15. 

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