9 White Bean Recipes That Even People Who 'Don't Like Beans' Will Love (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat beans for people who don't like beans? ›

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. These are the most popular types of white beans (cooked white beans), however each type has its own unique peculiarities and features.

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. Black beans are sweet-tasting with a soft texture.

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.

Black, pinto, kidney, and other starchy beans have a pleasant, smooth texture, so it's easier than you may think to get picky eaters hooked. Add beans to taco-meat filling or turkey chili, or serve hummus (made from pureed garbanzo beans) as a dip for vegetables or baked chips.

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.

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.

Soaking your beans helps them cook faster and more evenly, and it can also make them easier to digest. If you add salt to the soaking water (in other words, make a brine), your beans will cook even faster; the salt helps break down their skins.

Baby Lima Beans

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. Because of their soft texture, they work well to make dips or include in a soup, stew, or even a casserole where you don't want a hard bean.

Should I soak white beans before cooking? ›

Before cooking, all dried beans need to be rehydrated by soaking. The 10- to 12-hour overnight soak is the easy and always effective method, but you can quick-soak beans by bringing them to the boil for one minute, then covering the pan and letting them sit for one hour.

Great northern beans look similar to cannellini beans and have the same softness and smooth texture. These are large and have an excellent taste, making them perfect for stews and soups. Other than that, great northern beans are rich in fiber and proteins. They are also a good source of fat and are low in calories.

Legumes are very cheap foods thanks to simple cultivation methods. At the same time, they also come from strong, resistant plants less susceptible to climate variations, which keeps the production costs of peas, beans or lentils quite low.

'Amethyst' – Widely available, this beautiful bean's purple pods are thin and straight, averaging 5-5½ inches long. They grow on medium-sized, upright plants and have tan colored seeds.

But most people can enjoy more beans with less gas with the help of these tips: Soak beans overnight in water, then drain, rinse and cook in fresh water. This decreases the oligosaccharide content. Cooking the beans in a pressure cooker may reduce the oligosaccharides even further.

Beans are a nutritious and delicious food that offers a wide range of health benefits. However, for some people, consuming beans can bring about a range of uncomfortable symptoms, including bloating, gas, and stomach pain. This is because beans contain complex sugars that some individuals may have difficulty digesting.

Start by eating 2 to 4 tablespoons of beans per day, and gradually increase consumption to the ½ cup per day recommendation. Drink more water each day as you eat more beans. When soaking dry bean before cooking, change the water several times.

Digestive issues: Some people may have difficulty digesting beans and legumes, which can cause gas, bloating, and stomach discomfort. Food allergies or intolerances: Some people may be allergic to certain types of beans or legumes, or may have an intolerance to certain compounds found in these foods.