American🥚 Egg & tofu

Cacio e Pepe Beans and Broccoli

Name: Cacio e Pepe Beans and Broccoli
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb Dried white beans (great northern); ~8-10 cups Water; 1 tsp Salt; ~1 head Broccoli; ~1 cup Parmesan or pecorino romano cheese; ~1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper; ~3 tbsp Fresh herbs for garnish (sage, parsley, or other herbs); 1 Garlic clove; ~1-2 tbsp Fresh sage flowers

⏱ 120 min

A hearty, protein-rich interpretation of the classic Italian cacio e pepe using white beans instead of pasta, topped with a creamy sauce of pecorino cheese and freshly ground black pepper, finished with fresh herbs and broccoli.

High-proteinLow-cal

Adapted from a video by Adam Ragusea

Cacio e pepe beans and broccoli

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Dried white beans (great northern)approximately half kilogram1 lb
Waterfor soaking and cooking beans~8-10 cupsest.
Saltor to taste; recommended 1 to 2 teaspoons1 tsp
Broccolione crown, cut into small florets~1 headest.
Parmesan or pecorino romano cheesefreshly grated, generous amount~1 cupest.
Freshly ground black peppergenerous amount, freshly ground~1 tbspest.
Fresh herbs for garnish (sage, parsley, or other herbs)finely chopped, optional; lemon zest or fresh chili also optional

Steps

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1
Rinse the dried white beans and place them in a pot. Cover with plenty of water and let soak overnight to allow the beans to plump up and absorb moisture.
2
Drain the soaked beans and place them in a pot with fresh water, covering just a couple of inches above the beans. This concentrated starch in the cooking liquid will thicken the sauce.
3
Add salt to the beans, then bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
4
Simmer the beans for approximately one to one and a half hours until tender, adding more water if needed to prevent the pot from drying out.
5
Once the beans are nearly tender, ladle out about half of them to reserve for another use, leaving behind beans in a thickened, sauce-like liquid.
6
Cut the broccoli crown into small florets. Place the florets on top of the beans, cover the pot, and turn the heat back on to steam until the broccoli becomes tender.
7
Optional: Prepare a fresh herb mixture by finely chopping sage, peeled garlic, and any other herbs such as parsley or lemon zest into a fine blend.
8
When the broccoli is almost tender, turn off the heat and allow it to continue cooking with residual heat.
9
Grate in a generous amount of fresh Parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, followed by a large quantity of freshly ground black pepper.
10
Stir well to bring the sauce together. If the sauce is too thin, add more cheese, mash some of the beans, or simmer gently—but avoid hard boiling or the cheese may become gritty.
11
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Sprinkle the prepared fresh herb mixture over the top as garnish. Optionally pluck sage flower petals for additional decoration.

Cacio e Pepe Beans and Broccoli

Ingredients

Steps

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