Creamy braised white beans - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald (2024)

FAQs

Creamy braised white beans - Eat Well Recipe - NZ Herald? ›

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cut side down, and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk, chickpeas and their liquid, white beans, thyme and nutmeg and stir to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Baby Lima Beans. Also called “butterbeans”, Baby Lima beans are small, smooth, and creamy with a rich, buttery texture.

Canned beans just need to be drained and rinsed, then they're ready to use.

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.

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.

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.

What is a White Bean? Some recipes simply call for “white beans.” This is a general term for great northern beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, and other similar beans.

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.

Probably the most common canned white bean in the UK is the canellini bean (sometimes called white kidney beans in the US) and this would be a popular choice for most people. However you could use other beans and canned haricot beans would be a good alternative. In the US these are usually known as navy beans.

Should you 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.

Drain and rinse the beans and put them into a pot with a heavy lid. Add just enough cold water to cover them. Add the rosemary, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Bring the beans to a boil, then cover and simmer them gently for 20 to 30 minutes or until the beans are tender but not mushy.

Buy: canned white beans

Also sometimes dubbed a Great Northern bean, navy bean, or cannellini bean, the white bean is a mild, neutral flavored bean that's soft and creamy when cooked. It's ideal for mashing or pureeing into soups, dips, and spreads.

Lima Beans

They come in either a small or large size, and their color ranges from green to white based on their maturity. Lima beans are also commonly called butter beans for their buttery, rich flavor, and velvety texture.

If you're looking for creamy, soft beans the trick to getting the creamiest results is by cooking them mostly covered. Recipes for whole, firm beans recommend simmering beans uncovered, which allows a portion of the heat to escape as vapor, reducing the cooking liquid while cooking the beans more slowly.