Cannellini beans are a kind of kidney bean. If you've eaten Great Northern beans or Navy beans, cannellini taste VERY similar. Cannellini beans shown here are the size of red kidney beans. There are other varieties that are smaller.
I found these cannellini beans in the bulk bin section at the foodie mart. They were $3.19 per pound compared to Great Northern and Navy at $1.19 per pound. Seeing that I wanted to explore and compare them to the others, I bit the bullet and brought them home. I have to say, I enjoy how well they held up during the cooking process. I can't say they have MORE flavor. But because of their size, there's more bean to the bite.
Cannellini beans are hardy enough for soups, stews, anywhere you need beans in a recipe. Commonly associated with Italian cooking, however, I think they'd make a great filling for white bean burritos. Refried cannellini beans, sauteed onions & bell pepper, jalapeno jack cheese, drizzled with a little adobo sauce...mmm, mmm!
*POOF!* What was I talking about before? oh yea...
Here's two methods to cooking cannellini beans: the long way & the short way. One method is not better than the other, nor does one produce a better flavor over the other. It comes down to how much time do you have and how your schedule works out.
Both methods call for the same amount of ingredients.
- 2 cups dried cannellini beans
- 2 to 4 bay leaves
- 4 whole garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pick over the beans carefully, discarding any stones or other particles.
LET'S START WITH THE LONG METHOD
Soak the beans in a large bowl of cold water overnight. Drain. Place the beans in a large sauce pan of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain. Return the beans to the pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil again. Add the bay leaves, garlic, oil, salt & pepper and cook until the beans are tender, 1-2 hours. Reserve the bean stock for soups. Discard the bay leaves.
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