Brothy White Beans with Radicchio | Tried and True Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are white beans and cannellini beans the same? ›

White beans are broad category of beans that are… you guessed it… white. There are different types of white beans, which vary in size, texture, taste and cooking time. The most common types of white beans are: Navy Beans, Great Northern Beans, Cannellini Beans & Lima Beans.

Great Northern Beans

But if you're looking for just one bean to keep on your pantry shelves, you'll want to go with the great northern white bean. With its nutty flavor, firm flesh and medium size, great northern beans work in almost any application. Bean salad? Perfect.

What Are White Beans? White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc.

But if you have excess bean broth, use it to cook more beans or lentils, thicken soups, season and drink like bone broth or add to quick breads and doughs. When I have it, I use rich, unsalted black bean broth in place of water for my sourdough discard chocolate cake—yum! Bean broth also freezes well.

All beans are rich in fiber, but the top-ranking variety is the navy bean, allegedly named for its popularity in the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century. These pea-sized, cream-colored beans provide 10 grams of fiber per half-cup serving.

Dried beans cooked with sea salt and water are delicious, but adding an onion, garlic, or other aromatics to the pot will make them even more flavorful!

America's favorite bean is pinto beans, according to the U.S. Dry Beans Council, often used to make refried beans. Navy beans, Great Northern beans, red kidney beans and black beans round out the rest of the top five.

Baby Lima Beans

Baby lima beans are even smaller than Navy beans and just as white. They're more likely to be referred to by name, however, or called butter beans. They're creamy and buttery when they're cooked, hence their nickname.

If a recipe calls for white beans, you can use Great Northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans (also called cannellini beans). Black Beans are medium-size, oval-shaped beans with matte black skin.

White beans, such as cannellini and great northern beans, are wonderful in stews, soups, spreads and salads. But the fact that some recipes simply call for white beans, while others specify either cannellini or great northern beans, might have you wondering about the differences between these two beans.

Is it better to cook beans in water or broth? ›

Consider cooking your beans in stock instead of water. Vegetable, chicken or beef stock will add a rich depth of flavor; consider chicken stock for cannellini beans, or vegetable stock for lentils. If you use stock, you may want to adjust the amount of salt you add to your beans.

The purest form of bean broth is called “aquafaba,” a newly minted French word that refers to the leftover water from cooking beans.

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.

If you don't have cannellini beans, substitute other dried white beans, like Great Northern or navy beans. If you don't have chard, use kale or spinach.

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.

All beans are rich in fiber, but the top-ranking variety is the navy bean, allegedly named for its popularity in the U.S. Navy in the early 20th century. These pea-sized, cream-colored beans provide 10 grams of fiber per half-cup serving.

Celebrated as a staple of Italian cuisine, Cannellini beans, also known as White Kidney beans, are delicious and wonderfully nutritious. They are fiber-rich nutrient powerhouses and an excellent source of protein. They can be cooked into soups, stews, and salads.