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Meat, South and mountains

Garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans

This garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans is a slow cooked dish for 4 people, ready in 2 hours, rated easy, at €3.00 per person. The key is studding the meat with garlic before cooking and basting it often so it stays tender all the way through.

Tonight, a pork roast slowly roasting with garlic and thyme, alongside white beans turning soft and tender.

Garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans
Total time
2 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
600 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter

This cut, a pork round roast from the hock, needs long, gentle cooking to become truly tender. Studded with garlic and scattered with thyme, it roasts in a Dutch oven with a splash of white wine, taking on flavor from the inside as the meat slowly softens. The white beans, stirred in near the end, soak up that cooking liquid and turn creamy themselves.

This is a Sunday dish, or one for a cold winter evening, the kind you start early and almost forget about while the oven does the work. It's simple enough for a family dinner and relaxed enough for guests, especially in fall or winter when you want something warming. We like putting this on the menu on days when nobody has time to hover over the stove.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Pork round roast 1.2 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 6 cloves
  • Thyme 6 sprigs
  • Onion 1

Pantry

  • Canned white beansoften in the pantry 800 g
  • Dry white wine 15 cl
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and take the meat out of the fridge thirty minutes beforehand.

    Meat at room temperature cooks more evenly.

  2. Make slits in the roast and tuck in pieces of garlic and thyme, then season with salt and pepper.

    Rub it with a little olive oil too, so it browns nicely.

  3. Brown the roast on all sides in a Dutch oven with the olive oil. 10 min

    A good sear adds extra flavor.

  4. Add the onion, white wine, and a glass of water, cover, and put it in the oven. 1 h 30

    Baste the meat with its juices every thirty minutes.

  5. Add the drained white beans to the juices for the last few minutes and serve. 10 min

    They soak up the cooking liquid and turn flavorful.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a roast with a good central bone, it holds its tenderness better through long cooking.
  • Don't salt it too early before browning, the salt draws out moisture and keeps the meat from getting a good sear.
  • If the liquid reduces too fast in the oven, top it up with hot water rather than cold, so the cooking doesn't stall.

The variations

  • Swap the white beans for green lentils, they hold their shape well and soak up the cooking juices just as nicely.
  • For a meatless version, keep the garlic, thyme, and white wine base and simmer it with mushrooms and white beans instead of pork.
  • For kids, cut back on the garlic and serve the meat shredded with the beans lightly mashed.

What to serve it with

  • Crusty bread for the juices
  • Green salad with a sharp vinaigrette
  • A glass of the same white wine

Storage

Keeps 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Freezes well for up to 2 months, meat and beans together. Reheat gently in a pot with a little water or cooking liquid so the meat doesn't dry out.

Questions about this dish

Can you make this pork roast ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually better reheated the next day, since the meat has more time to soak up the juices. Make it the day before and reheat gently before serving.

Can you use dried beans instead of canned white beans?

Yes, but soak them first and cook them separately for about 1 hour 30 minutes before adding them to the roast. Canned beans stay the easier choice for a weeknight.

How do you know when the pork roast is fully cooked?

The meat should pull away easily with a fork and show no pink near the bone. If it still resists, give it another fifteen minutes in the oven.

Can you freeze the pork roast with the white beans?

Yes, the whole dish freezes well once cooled, meat and beans together in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat gently in a pot.

How long does it take to make a garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans?

Count 2 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans?

About 600 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a garlic and thyme pork roast with white beans cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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