My great aunt fed her whole family on this filling dish for pennies. Creamy beans and tender noodles make the most underrated comfort food.

This slow cooker 3-ingredient navy bean pasta is the kind of humble, filling dish my great aunt would stretch to feed a whole family on just a few pantry staples. It’s all about creamy beans and tender little noodles, simmered together until everything gets that starchy, glossy coating and the navy beans start to break down into a cozy, pale broth. It’s not fancy, but it’s pure Midwest comfort food: cheap, hearty, and exactly what you want on a cold night when you’re short on time and energy.

Serve this navy bean pasta straight from the slow cooker with a generous grind of black pepper on top. If you have them, simple sides like steamed or roasted veggies, a green salad, or crusty bread are perfect for rounding it out. It also pairs really well with something tangy or bright—think pickles, a splash of hot sauce, or a squeeze of lemon—to cut through the creaminess. Leftovers thicken as they sit, so you can spoon them into bowls the next day as a stick-to-your-ribs lunch.

Servings: 6

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry navy beans, rinsed and picked over

Rinse the dry navy beans under cool running water and pick out any broken beans or debris. Do not soak the beans for this recipe; they’ll cook low and slow in the slow cooker.

Add the rinsed navy beans to a large slow cooker (at least 5-quart capacity). Pour in the water. The beans should be well covered, with a few extra inches of water above them to allow for expansion and starchiness from the pasta later.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook the beans on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the navy beans are very tender and just starting to break apart at the edges. They should be creamy inside when you press one between your fingers.

Once the beans are tender and the cooking liquid looks pale and slightly creamy, stir the beans gently to release more starch into the broth. Taste a bean and, if desired, season lightly with salt at this point, knowing the flavors will concentrate a bit more when you add the pasta. (If you prefer to keep the base absolutely plain and budget-friendly, you can skip the salt.)

Stir in the uncooked small shell pasta, making sure the pasta is fully submerged in the bean broth. If the liquid level looks low and the pasta isn’t covered, add just enough extra water to barely cover the pasta. Do not overdo it—the goal is a thick, creamy mixture, not a soup.

Cover the slow cooker again and cook on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the pasta is just tender. Slow cooker temperatures vary, so start checking around the 15-minute mark. The beans will break down a little more as you stir, helping to create that glossy, creamy coating on the shells.

When the pasta is cooked to your liking and the mixture has thickened into a creamy, starchy sauce, give everything a final gentle stir. If it’s thicker than you’d like, stir in a splash of hot water to loosen. If it’s too brothy, let it sit with the lid off for 5 to 10 minutes; the pasta and beans will continue to absorb liquid.

Serve the navy bean pasta hot, straight from the slow cooker. If you have any on hand, you can finish individual bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, or cracked black pepper, but the dish is designed to be satisfying and comforting even without extras.

This recipe is intentionally bare-bones to stay true to that old-school, feed-a-crowd-on-pennies feeling, but you can dress it up if your budget and pantry allow. For extra richness, stir in a knob of butter or a splash of milk at the end to make the beans and pasta even creamier. If you want more flavor without adding a lot of ingredients, toss in a bay leaf or a peeled onion half with the beans at the beginning and remove before serving. You can also swap the water for low-sodium broth to deepen the flavor. Any small pasta shape works—ditalini, elbows, or tiny stars all behave similarly to shells. For protein, stir in leftover shredded chicken or chopped ham during the last 10 minutes of cooking just to warm through. Food safety tips: Always start with dry beans that have been rinsed and picked over; discard any shriveled or discolored beans or debris. Do not cook dry beans on the WARM setting—use HIGH or LOW only, and make sure they reach a simmer and become completely tender before eating. If you use older beans, they may take longer to soften; continue cooking until they are fully tender. Cool leftovers quickly, within 2 hours, transfer to shallow containers, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat thoroughly until steaming hot, and you may want to add a splash of water when reheating, as the pasta and beans will continue to thicken in the fridge.