From above, a shallow bowl filled with glossy bronze cremini mushrooms, creamy white gigante beans, and soft wedges of fennel in a golden saffron broth, finished with scattered torn dill and mint, thin curls of lemon zest, crushed pistachios, and a drizzle of emerald olive oil, with toasted bread leaning at the edge.

Slow Cooker Saffron Cremini Mushrooms with Gigante Beans & Fennel

Name: Slow Cooker Saffron Cremini Mushrooms with Gigante Beans & Fennel
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 255 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 12 oz cremini mushrooms trimmed and halved; 1 can (15 oz) gigante beans or large butter beans drained and rinsed; 1 small fennel bulb trimmed and cut into thin wedges; 1 medium shallot thinly sliced; 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced; 1/3 cup Castelvetrano olives torn or halved; 1/3 cup dry white wine; 1 cup vegetable broth; 1 lemon zest finely shaved and 1 tbsp juice reserved; 2 tbsp fresh dill roughly chopped; 1 tbsp fresh mint torn; 1 generous pinch saffron crumbled; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tbsp crushed pistachios crushed; 1/3 cup thick Greek yogurt for serving (optional); 4 slices crusty bread for serving; 3 tbsp, plus more for finishing extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp, plus more to taste kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper

Golden, brothy Mediterranean mushrooms with beans, fennel, and herbs.

Category Main Course

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 240 minutes

Style Mediterranean

Technique Slow Cooking

Diet Friendly Vegetarian

Daily recipe · July 16, 2026

A little about this dish

This slow cooker dish leans Mediterranean without falling into the usual tomato-heavy or lemon-chicken territory. Earthy cremini mushrooms are slowly cooked with fennel, shallot, olive oil, white wine, and a touch of saffron, then finished with buttery gigante beans, briny olives, and fresh herbs. The result is brothy, silky, and golden, with a look that feels rustic yet strikingly elegant in the bowl.

Ingredients (for 2)

Cremini mushrooms — 12 oz — trimmed and halved
Gigante beans or large butter beans — 1 can (15 oz) — drained and rinsed
Fennel bulb — 1 small — trimmed and cut into thin wedges
Shallot — 1 medium — thinly sliced
Garlic — 3 cloves — thinly sliced
Castelvetrano olives — 1/3 cup — torn or halved
Dry white wine — 1/3 cup
Vegetable broth — 1 cup
Lemon — 1 — zest finely shaved and 1 tbsp juice reserved
Fresh dill — 2 tbsp — roughly chopped
Fresh mint — 1 tbsp — torn
Saffron — 1 generous pinch — crumbled
Smoked paprika — 1/2 tsp
Crushed pistachios — 2 tbsp — crushed
Thick greek yogurt — 1/3 cup — for serving (optional)
Crusty bread — 4 slices — for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil — 3 tbsp, plus more for finishing
Kosher salt — 1 tsp, plus more to taste
Black pepper — 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Step 1 — 🍄🫒🥄

Add the cremini mushrooms, fennel, shallot, garlic, Castelvetrano olives, saffron, smoked paprika, vegetable broth, dry white wine, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the slow cooker. Toss gently to combine.
Step 2 — 🍲⏳🔌

Cover and cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the mushrooms are tender and the fennel is soft and silky but still holding its shape.
Step 3 — 🫘🥣⏱️

Stir in the drained gigante beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking so they heat through and soak up the broth without falling apart.
Step 4 — 🍋🌿✨

When cooking is done, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, half the fresh dill, and half the fresh mint. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 5 — 🍞🔥🤍

Toast the crusty bread until deeply golden. If using, spread a spoonful of thick Greek yogurt into each shallow bowl.
Step 6 — 🥣🍋🌰

Spoon the mushrooms, beans, and fennel into bowls with plenty of broth. Top with lemon zest, the remaining dill and mint, crushed pistachios, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Step 7 — 🍽️😋🍞

Serve right away with the toasted bread for dipping into the golden broth.

A final fox tip

For an even more dramatic finish, top each bowl with a few paper-thin raw fennel fronds and an extra thread of saffron-infused oil. You can also swap in chickpeas for the gigante beans, or add a small piece of preserved lemon for a deeper savory citrus note.