I have so much to tell you about this breakfast-for-any-time dish that I hardly know where to begin.
Let’s stop calling it breakfast—because I ate it for lunch, and it works perfectly for dinner, too.
While scanning the menu at Square Cafe this past weekend, the white bean hash caught my eye. I didn’t order it—my craving for buttery, toasted ciabatta with thick, crispy bacon and oozy gruyere steered me toward a breakfast sandwich. Still, the idea of the hash haunted me through the meal and long after I left. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
This was my first time cooking with leeks — I was a leek virgin.
Now I’m a leek convert.
Caramelizing them in bacon grease didn’t hurt my conversion.
I hadn’t actually seen the original dish—only relied on my memory, which apparently gets Mr. How Sweet in trouble several times a month. I remember everything. All I knew was that the hash featured leeks, pancetta, and white beans. That sounded like a winning combo.
Words can’t describe how good this skillet smelled and tasted. If I could, I’d marry my cast iron.
After adding the beans to the pan, I used a wooden spatula to press and mash a few while leaving most whole. That contrast—creamy mashed bits with intact beans—gives the hash a fantastic texture.
And just when it couldn’t get any better, I topped it with buttery eggs. Creamy beans, sweet caramelized leeks, crunchy salty bacon or pancetta, and perfectly cooked eggs—simple and irresistible.
Stop reading and get into the kitchen—this needs to happen in your life, stat.
White Bean Hash
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Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon or 1/2 cup chopped pancetta
- 2 leeks, trimmed, sliced and cleaned
- 1 15- ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 eggs, or however many you want
Instructions
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Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until browned. Remove the meat and let it drain on a paper towel, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Add the sliced, dry leeks to the bacon fat and sauté until caramelized, about 6–8 minutes. If needed, add a touch of butter or olive oil.
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Return the beans and chopped bacon or pancetta to the skillet and stir to combine. Press a few beans with a spatula so some become creamy while most remain whole. Either fry eggs in a separate pan or push the hash to the sides of the skillet and cook the eggs in the center.
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Serve the hash immediately with eggs on top.
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I appreciate you so much!
I really don’t think I’ll be eating anything else for dinner this week. I’m not kidding.