Summer is slowly turning to fall and I’m craving all the comfort food. For me, that’s lots of beans (both stew and baked), warm homemade bread and pogača, and of course all the soups, stews, and indulgent dishes one could think of. It’s the season of pepper roasting, making jams, and other preparations for winter, my favorite fall activity by far. And after all that work, I crave a nice and simple home-cooked meal that brings me just as much comfort as all those traditional activities. One of those comforting meals is Prebranac, a simple yet delicious baked bean dish that’s often served as the main course, especially on lenten days when no meat is consumed by those who practice the Orthodox Christan faith. Today I’m sharing it with you so you too can enjoy the fall season by adding this to your rotation.
Prebranac is prepared both with meat and without. My grandmother makes the best Prebranac and often makes it for our lenten slava without meat of course, and with lots of spices and delicious Tetovac beans, most often her own from the garden that she saves especially for Slava. It’s the common problem we all run into: we can never make our dishes taste as delicious as our grandmother’s, mother’s, and other family members. However, I don’t think I do too bad a job if I do say so myself. This recipe is hers and has gotten me many compliments so I’m confident you’ll enjoy it too!
As with all of my pasulj recipes, I advise you to begin the process by soaking them overnight, 10 hours at least. I like to place the beans in water right before bed the night before and by the early afternoon, they’re ready. Also, don’t forget to dispose of the “first” water when cooking them. This helps reduce bloating and the unpleasantness of eating beans!
As I mentioned earlier, you can make this recipe with meat if you’d like. I’m sharing the plain, vegan version today as a base, but feel free to add smoked meats, turkey, or other additions to spice it up. My favorite addition is some smoked sausage like Polish Kielbasa or even suvo meso. It doesn’t get any better than that, and the flavor from the meat (especially if it’s smoked) will make the dish taste even tastier. This is a great dish to bring to a holiday potluck or a party. It will be gone in a flash, guaranteed!
Looking for more entrees? Check out the Entree section! Looking for more vegan/lenten meal ideas? Check out the Posno/Vegan section!
Do you follow me on Instagram? Make sure to follow me there for even more tips, tricks, and recipe ideas!
Prebranac / Balkan Baked Beans
Course: EntreeCuisine: Balkan, Serbian6
servings15
minutes2
hours10
hoursPrebranac, Balkan baked beans that are stick-to-your-ribs delicious!
Ingredients
4-5 cups (680-850 g) dry white beans (I use white Northern beans when I can’t find Tetovac in the store)
2 large onions, chopped into small pieces
3-4 cloves garlic, diced
3 bay leaves
1 red bell pepper
1/3 cup (78 ml) oil ( I use sunflower)
1 tablespoon (7 g) Paprika (aleva paprika)
Black Pepper (biber), to taste
Vegeta seasoning, to taste
Salt, to taste
Directions
- Soak your beans overnight, for at least 10 hours. Place your dry beans in a bowl and cover with water. Make sure you have double the amount of water in your bowl, as the beans will soak up the water overnight. I usually place them in a large bowl and fill it completely with water, then drain the remaining water in the morning.
- When ready to begin cooking, drain any excess water from the beans and transfer them to your pot.
- Begin cooking your beans on medium-high heat until they reach a boil. Once they reach a boil, reduce the heat slightly to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes. Then, drain the beans again and refill the pot 3/4 of the way full with fresh water. Add 1 bay leaf, the whole red pepper, and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil to the pot.
- Continue cooking the beans for 40-60 minutes until they are just about cooked completely. They should break up when you press them against the side of the pot but have some grittiness to them still. At this point turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf and bell pepper from the pot. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, add the chopped onions and diced garlic. Add the oil to the skillet and begin to saute the onions and garlic on medium-low heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt (5-6 g), 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (3 g), and 1 tablespoon (17 g) of Vegeta. Once the onions have become translucent and begin to take on a light brown color, turn off the heat and add in all of the paprika (aleva). Stir everything to combine and taste for seasoning. Adjust for seasoning per your taste.
- Preheat your oven to 400 F/ 200 C.
- In a large baking pan or oven-safe casserole dish begin layering the onion mixture and beans. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1/3 of the beans to the bottom of the baking dish, using the spoon to drain the liquid. Next, place 1/3 of the onion mixture on top of the beans and spread as evenly as possible across the top. It does not have to be perfect by any means.
Continue this layering process with the rest of the beans and onion mixture. Once all the ingredients have been used up, ladle in 2-3 spoonfuls of the bean cooking liquid into the skillet and scrape the sides and bottom to lift all the seasonings remaining in the skillet. Pour this liquid on top of the beans and gently move the beans around to ensure the liquid is evenly distributed. Ensure that the dish has liquid about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the dish. This prevents the beans from burning while they bake and ensures the dish is not dry when baked. - Add the remaining bay leaves to the dish, pressing them towards the bottom of the dish so they aren’t exposed.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then uncover the baking dish and bake for another 15-20 minutes until a nice brown crust forms at the top. It should be deep brown but not burnt, so keep an eye on it. You may only need to bake it for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. There should still be some liquid in the pan at the end.
- Remove from the oven, taste again, and adjust for seasoning. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!
Notes
- Smoked meats and sausage work best as additions to this dish. Smoked turkey is always a hit!
- If using smaller beans like the Northern kind, you may need more beans. If using larger like Tetovac, use a little less.
