Now, these are the SEXIEST white beans you’ll ever try! It takes only 2 cans of cannellini beans, and 15 minutes or less to make this delicious white beans recipe with garlic, Parmesan, and cherry tomatoes. Serve it as an easy meatless dinner with your favorite crusty bread or as a side.
The sexiest creamy garlic white beans you’ll try!
White beans cooked in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, and a duo of Italian cheese, now this is the BEST (even sexiest) white beans recipe you’ll try! And it’s ready in just 15 minutes.
Using canned cannellini beans, which are tender and slightly nutty tasting, is a major shortcut that is worth taking (just like with butter beans, there’s no overnight soaking or boiling required)! Garlic is essential here, but I also add warm Mediterranean spices including cumin and Aleppo pepper to flavor the beans. And a little grated parmesan and nutty Pecorino Romano add heft and creaminess, while a squeeze of fresh lemon balances the dish with just enough acidity.
This one-pan creamy white beans recipe is a true warm-your-belly meatless dinner that requires nothing more than your favorite crusty bread to serve. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Types of white beans
White beans are a group of legumes that are easily distinguishable because of their white color and kidney-like shape. Some types of white beans include cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans), lima beans (also known as butter beans), great northern beans, and navy beans. Yup, plenty of options you can find in most supermarkets in dry and canned form. A quick guide on each of them:
- Navy Beans: Also called pea beans are smaller and have a mild flavor. They are great for mashed preparations.
- Great Northern Beans: These white beans are medium-sized and firm with a slight nutty taste.
- Cannellini Beans: Also called white kidney beans, are larger and heartier, but they do have a nice creamy texture when cooked. These beans are native to Italy and you’ll find them in many of my meals, like this orecchiette pasta, white bean shakahuka, vegetarian pasta fagioli, and ribollita. And I use them in this recipe as well.
- Baby Lima Beans: Also called butterbeans, are small and creamy with a buttery texture. I love them, especially, in a mashed white bean dip.
Like I said, I used canned cannellini beans here, but you can use any canned white bean variety you like! There will be a subtle difference in taste and texture, but you’ll still have a delicious bean dish that is loaded with flavor.
Ingredients: What you’ll need to make this easy white beans recipe
With just a few pantry staples, you can have dinner ready in a flash! Here’s what you’ll need to make these white beans.
- Minced garlic – I like 3 to 4 minced cloves of garlic in this dish, but feel free to alter this amount based on your preference.
- Extra virgin olive oil – A generous drizzle of EVOO to finish the dish adds a nice silkiness to the sauce.
- Canned cannellini beans – You’ll need 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. Other white beans such as butter beans and great northern beans would also work well in this recipe.
- Halved cherry tomatoes – Just a cup of cherry tomatoes adds color and a hint of bright acidity.
- Aleppo pepper – I love the subtle tang and hint of sweetness that comes from Aleppo pepper in this recipe.
- Cumin – Its earthiness is the perfect base for the other flavors to balance on.
- Chopped fresh parsley – Few herbs elevate a dish as easily as fresh parsley does!
- Grated cheese – A combination of parmesan cheese and Pecorino Romano (which is a dense, nutty, sharp cheese) add tantalizing umami to this white beans recipe. If you can’t find one or the other, you can use just parmesan or Pecorino Romano, but the combination together is a good balance of salty tang and nuttiness.
- Fresh lemon juice – A squeeze of lemon juice instantly brightens this dish, enhancing its creamy, tangy flavors.
How to make this white bean recipe
My favorite thing about this dish is just how simple it is to make and all you need is one large pan and 15 minutes of time. Here’s how you make it:
- Sauté the garlic and beans. In a large pan, sauté 3 to 4 minced garlic cloves in heated olive oil over medium heat. Once the garlic is golden, add 2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans that have been drained, and about ½ cup of water. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, and ½ teaspoon cumin.
- Add the tomatoes, fresh parsley, and cheese. Add 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the beans and tomatoes are warmed through and the tomatoes have softened a bit. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley, ¼ to 1/3 cup shaved parmesan, ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano, and the juice of half a lemon.
- Serve! Drizzle extra virgin olive oil generously to finish the white beans dish, and serve immediately.
Can I make this recipe from dry white beans instead of canned?
If you have the time, and you’re looking for a way to use up those dry white beans that have been in your pantry for what seems like forever, you can make this white beans recipe from scratch.
Three quarters of a cup of dry white beans equals approximately 1 15-ounce can of beans. So start with 1 ½ cups of dry beans and add them to a medium to large bowl. Cover with water (there should be about 3 inches of water above the beans). Let them soak for at least 8 hours – overnight is ideal!
Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly, and then add them to a large pot on the stovetop. Cover with water once more and bring to a boil. Add some kosher salt (about 2 teaspoons) and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the beans simmer uncovered. The beans are ready when they are tender, but not mushy. This can take 2 to 3 hours. Keep an eye on the beans as they cook and add water if they start looking dry.
Once the white beans are cooked, follow the recipe as is from step one!
What to serve with this cannellini beans recipe
These creamy white beans are delicious with pita or your favorite fresh crusty bread. I also like to start the meal off with a big salad.
How to store leftovers
These garlic parmesan white beans will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. To reheat, add the beans to a pan on the stovetop on medium heat. If the beans have dried out a bit in the fridge, add a small amount of water (no more than ¼ cup).
Other white beans recipes to try
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Orecchiette with White Beans, Tomatoes, and Olives
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Easy White Bean Salad
Hungry for more? Here are all our Mediterranean Recipes!
Garlic Parmesan White Beans
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ to 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- In a large pan, warm 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly, tossing regularly, until just golden.
- Add the cannellini beans and ½ cup water. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and the spices. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until warmed through (about 10 minutes)
- Stir in the parsley, cheese, and lemon juice.
- Finish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with pita or your favorite crusty bread.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have cannellini beans, feel free to use another kind of white bean such as butter beans or great northern beans.
- I used canned beans in this recipe to save time, but you can also prepare the beans from scratch if you prefer.
- Leftover tips: These garlic parmesan white beans will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. To reheat, add the beans to a pan on the stovetop on medium heat. If the beans have dried out a bit in the fridge, add a small amount of water (no more than ¼ cup).
- Visit Our Shop for quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices.
Very good! Great way to jazz up ordinary canned beans!
I made this today for lunch. I forgot the tomatoes and used scallions. It turned out delicious! I did use all the rest of the ingredients.
Oh I forgot to add that I almost doubled the garlic and red pepper and cheeses. They were delicious and I know they taste even better later.
Fantastic recipe – it came together so easily and even a non bean eater loved it. Highly recommend!
This was such an easy, fast recipe that really tastes fabulous!! It makes a great meal on its own! I followed the recipe as writtten except I added an extra clove of garlic, because we love garlic. Next time, I’ll double the recipe so there are leftovers!!
This is on regular rotation at our house. So delicious!
Quick, easy and tasty (I used tinned Tom’s and added red pepper and a few spring onions that needed using).
Delicious as written except I had to use ancho pepper because that’s what I had. I then added a scant teaspoon of sugar for just a hint of sweetness missing that would have been provided by the Aleppo pepper. Lovely and creamy, perfect for a rainy California day!
Thanks so much, Nancy!
This is so good! If would be great on toasted, buttered sourdough, but I ate it too fast to test that. Lemony, cheesy, creamy. So good.
Oh my goodness! This is delicious. We are trying to find more vegetarian dinners that we like. This is crave worthy. The creaminess of the beans, the slight spice from the aleppo pepper, the saltiness of the cheese, the acid from the lemon, it all blends together beautifully. Definitely a comfort food warm your belly meal. This dish stands alone and doesn’t need anything else served with it. We will definitely be making this again!
Fantastic flavorful recipe for this cold winter night. Even though it is snowing, my parsley is still growing. The earthiness of the beans with the brightness of the parsley, tomatoes and lemon were perfect. I drizzled mine with olive oil.
Leftovers will be served for brekkie atop some warm spiced plain yogurt and good bread.
Thank you for your lovely review, Cynthia!
This is a riff on the beans used in pasta e fagioli, a very traditional Italian dish. I’m not sure about the additions.
Hello! This is a unique bean recipe that Suzy created. We realize it’s not a “traditional” Italian dish… that’s not something that was ever stated. I do hope you give it a try. While not being traditional, it is one of our most popular bean recipes on the site.
I really loved this it had a great flavour super delicious quick and easy. The 400 calories – is that per serving and if yes how much is one serving?
Hi, Heloise! Yes, this recipes is 316 cal/serving and there are 4 servings in this recipe. Our recipes can be divided by the number of servings listed to get the “serving size” that goes with the nutritional facts. The nutrition info here is our best effort and we use a program that calculates that for us based on the ingredient list. Unfortunately, the exact serving size measurement (by cups, etc) is another layer that’s harder for us to precisely calculate at the moment. We do hope to improve this in the future, though!
Delicious as side dish however I enjoyed as soup with crusty bread even more. Thanks
Maybe just me or an age thing but needed to put far more garlic in it otherwise brilliant recipe.
Mine wasn’t as liquidy and oily looking at the photo. I added a bit more water and oil. Flavour was amazing but want the consistency as shown.
I did wash the beans, could that be it?
Thank you
Hi, Jillian. It’s really hard to say without being there. This recipe is super forgiving, so if you’d like it a bit more liquidy, you can try adding a bit more water, olive oil or even some liquid reserved from the can of beans if you’d like.
Delicious! I made a few changes. Didn’t use the cumin it Aleppo pepper. Added kale that I had just cooked. Dry parm and fresh asiago. Very tasty, creamy, zingy cuz of the lemon. Loved it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and review, Heidi!