Prebranac is a traditional dish in Serbia, popular in other Balkan countries, very cheap to make, nutritious and best served in winter.
While it might look hard to make, prebranac is actually fairly easy to prepare. It has just four ingredients plus a few spices.
This is a vegetarian recipe, but you can also add a sausage or some dry meat. In Serbia people tend to eat it when fasting.
Serbian Baked Beans (Prebranac)
Ingredients
- 3 white onions
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 3 cans butter beans
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- bay leaves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Chop the onions. Then place the onion and sunflower oil in a dutch oven and heat over a burner on medium low heat. It is best to start the onion off in the cold oil, this will give the onions a more mellow flavor. Bring the onions to a low and slow simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the onions have deepened to a yellow color but are not caramelized.
- Drain and rinse the beans. Add the beans, paprika, garlic, bay leaves, and a generous amount of salt and pepper to the pot with the onions. Then stir in 3 cups of water. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until most of the moisture has evaporated, the beans have deepened in color, and the top of the beans have caramelized.
- Let the beans cool and then refrigerate. I reheated the beans in a casserole dish before serving.