Slow Cooker Saffron Cremini Mushrooms with Gigante Beans & Fennel
Category
Main Course
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
240 minutes
Style
Mediterranean
Technique
Slow Cooking
Diet Friendly
Vegetarian
Daily Recipe: July 16, 2026
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Step 5 - 🍞🔥🤍Toast the crusty bread until deeply golden. If using, spread a spoonful of thick Greek yogurt into each shallow bowl.
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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.
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Step 7 - 🍽️😋🍞Serve right away with the toasted bread for dipping into the golden broth.
Additional
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.