When I decided to stay at home with our kids while (well, actually before) I was pregnant with Kory, people asked how we would make it financially.  I used to joke, “Guess we’ll be eating lots of beans! *’Better is a dish of vegetables where love is…’ ”  and all that. Beans and cornbread was one of my favorite meals at my Memo’s house growing up.  They were always pinto beans, cooked all day, sometimes with bacon or ham, and topped with, if you so desired, a mixture of mayonnaise and chopped onions.  I always passed on that unique topping, but I’ve never grown out of my love for a meal of just beans.  Nope ~ now I want to try just about every bean recipe I find.  I especially enjoy white beans.  Our farm makes an “escarole and navy bean” recipe available every year, which I really love; however, I’m never sure my family will settle for “greens and beans” for dinner.  Recently, I came across this recipe for chicken and white beans in Real Simple magazine.  It looked delicious in the picture and seemed easy enough to prepare, so I gave it a try for dinner one night.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and it’s even quite inexpensive since it uses chicken thighs and….well, beans!

2 15 oz. cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1 pint grape tomatoes

4 sprigs fresh thyme (dried will work ok, too)

4 sprigs fresh oregano

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/4 tsp red pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3lbs)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a 9X13 baking dish, toss the beans, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, garlic, read pepper, salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp of oil.  Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Place chicken in baking dish on top of bean mixture, skin-side up.  Brush remaining oil on top of chicken thighs and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Roast until chicken is golden and cooked through ~ 35-45 minutes.

Served with a tossed salad or veggie on the side = easy almost-one-pot-meal!