5-Minute Cannellini Recipe - Beauty Bites (2024)

FAQs

Are great northern white beans the same as cannellini beans? ›

Cannellini Beans are larger and heartier than Great Northerns and are sometimes referred to as “white kidney beans” because of their traditional kidney shape. You'll often find them mixed with pinto beans.

Cannellini beans have a substantial protein content and can definitely help you hit your daily protein goals. From supporting healthy muscles to helping maintain healthy hair, nails and skin, protein is pretty important – and these beans can help you pack it into your diet.

Due to their creamy white color, navy beans are sometimes confused with other white beans such as great northern beans, cannellini beans, or white kidney beans. Although their taste is similar, navy beans are smaller and rounder than these other varieties.

Cannellini beans are the largest of the group and because of their traditional kidney shape, they can also be referred to as White Kidney Beans. Meatier than Navy or Great Northern beans, they have a nutty, earthy flavor and tender flesh, and are often used in Italian dishes like Minestrone.

If you can't find cannellini beans, great Northern beans are the best stand-in.

Because of their fibre content, cannellini beans can cause gas. Eating too many beans can cause gastrointestinal upset to some extent. However, you can avoid such cases if you eat it after soaking it overnight.

For that reason, most of the BHG's test kitchen recipes call for draining and rinsing canned beans, which can also help remove the metallic flavor sometimes found in cans. It's an added step that takes less than a minute but improves the flavor and texture of your dish.

Low-calorie, nutrient-dense cannellini beans and other legumes are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties and have even been found to help people with diabetes (about half of whom also have arthritis).

Cannellini beans are high in fibre and contain vitamin C as well as magnesium, a mineral that helps our muscles to function properly. Chickpeas are a good source of fibre and contain more than 10 different micronutrients, including copper, which keeps our skin and hair healthy.

Both cannellini beans—also known as white kidney beans—and great northern beans are small- to medium-size white beans that are widely available in the U.S. in cans and dried. Both types of bean also originated and were cultivated in the area that is now South America and are part of the Phaseolus vulgaris species.

What are the pink bits on cannellini beans? ›

Beans and related plants have an embryo in their seeds. In white legumes, the embryo is a light pink color and looks indeed like a larva. That's likely what you're seeing. I know I've used white beans that were pink-ish before, and nothing bad has ever happened (though I'm hardly an authoritative source).

Choosing the Right Beans

White beans to be exact, since they tend to yield the creamiest results with a relatively neutral flavor. Baby lima beans are the pièce de résistance of creamy white beans if you ask me, but aren't always the easiest to find, especially canned.

Canned beans can be eaten directly from the can without additional cooking since they are precooked. However, before enjoying them as is—or if you decide to cook them—definitely rinse them off with cool water. …

Cannellini beans are wonderfully nutritious. They're fat free and an excellent source of fiber, folate, iron and magnesium. One 1/4 cup serving contains 11 grams of protein! Adding nutritious foods like dried cannellini beans to your diet may help control blood sugar levels; talk with your doctor.

For example, if you're wanting to make a recipe with a meatier texture, use Cannellini Beans or Great Northern Beans. One can be substituted for the other pretty easily. Likewise, if you're using beans to make a creamy dip, Navy Beans can easily be swapped for Baby Lima Beans (aka Butter Beans).

Great Northerns are called “common beans” and are botanically classified as Phaseolus vulgaris alongside red kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, pink beans, and navy beans. These so-called common beans were spread through Central and South America by migrating farmers.

Although these two beans are very similar to one another, they are each a different variety. The main difference between the two is that white Navy beans are smaller than white Great Northern beans. However, they have similar culinary uses and can easily be substituted for one another.

The bean is commonly added to soups and stews because they hold their shape better than other beans. Great northern beans provide protein and fiber along with other important vitamins and minerals such as folate, phosphorus, and manganese.