How do you make white beans?

[amber913]

A friend of mine gave me pounds of navy and white northern beans, but i'm at a loss on how to prepare them. My cookbooks have very few recipes including white beans, so....??? I have basic ingredients--onions, veggies, spices, etc.-- and we are vegetarian.

[and just to clarify, i know how to prepare beans--soaking and cooking--i just need recipes!]

Thanks!!!

[staceychev]

I like them mixed with sauteed kale, garlic, and onion, and then topped with crumbled blue cheese and a little vinegar.

I've also pureed them in the food processor as a dip, but don't have the recipe at hand. It had olive oil and garlic and salt, I know. You might be able to find something if you searched for "white bean dip" on google.

[cristeen]

I like them refried, in bean salad/salsa, in honey baked beans... anywhere you might normally put pinto beans (which I don't really care for).

[dachshundqueen]

I make "gravy" from them and also a white bean soup (with kale).

Liz

[Owen'nZoe]

I like them paired with greens, like the PPs. You can also use them in minestrone soup. And I've used them to make baked beans.

Also, if you have meat recipes on hand for them, I recently learned that you can use 1 dried chipotle pepper in a recipe that calls for bacon, and it will give the recipe the depth and smokiness that the meat would have. If you scrape out the seeds well, the pepper adds hardly any heat, just flavor and texture. I've been making all sorts of bean recipes I remember from when I was a kid, and had set aside because soy bacon wasn't cutting it.

[Ruthla]

You can also sautee onions and mushrooms, then mix that with plain cooked white beans. This makes an absolutely delicious dish that can then be paired with a salad, some kind of grain dish, etc. We normally use it as a side dish with meat, but it stands on its own very well.

[Magelet]

another vote for refried. I think white beans are far better refried beans than any other type. They're smooth and creamy and yummy!!

I also put them in minestrone, chili, other soups, and more. I'll serve them as is (cooked with garlic and cumin) and some fat, though if I'm having a serving of beans I'd much rather have them refried.

[lotus.blossom]

This is one of my favorite meals!

Gnocchi skillet meal

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi (see Tip)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
6 cups chopped chard leaves (about 1 small bunch) or spinach
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

[tifpaul]

Does anyone have a good recipe for refried beans?

The blue cheese idea sounds so good!

[Magelet]

not a recipe persay, since I don't use one. Here's how I make refried beans:

Heat a good deal of healthy delicious fat (chicken fat, butter, beef fat, lard, coconut oil, whichever goes with the rest of the meal) in the cast iron frying pan. Meanwhile, mash beans (great use for leftover beans as it reheats them as well) with a fork, potato masher, or other mashing implement until thouroughly mashed. add the beans to the pan, and stir. Add fat as nessicary. salt to taste. You are done when it is hot and tastes about like what you think it should. The beans will absorb lots of fat and thats what makes them so tasty!

[cristeen]

I'm with Magelet - no recipe necessary. Only I use bacon grease or lard. It takes a LOT of fat. I heat the fat in the cast iron pan, toss in the whole beans and mash with a fork. Keep adding fat as necessary.

[tifpaul]

OK, it's obvious now that you say it. Re and fried . . . I mean, what else could it mean?

Thanks so much!

[napless]

My favourite way is in Slow Cooker Baked Beans. Here's the recipe:

2 cups/500 mL dried small navy beans

8 cups/2 litres water

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cube (about 2 inches/4 cm) salt pork


1 can (5.5 oz/156 mL) tomato paste

1/4 cup/60 mL molasses

1/4 cup/60 mL maple syrup or brown sugar

Put the beans, water, onion and pork into the crockpot.
Cook overnight, on LOW.
At noon, drain the beans and save 2 cups/500 mL of the cooking liquid.
Return the beans to the crockpot.
Add the tomato paste, molasses, maple syrup, and 2 cups cooking liquid.
Stir.
Cook for 4 hours more, on LOW.

[Jaxinator]

I make chili with them.
We cook turkey and onions (but I don't see why just cooking onions in a pan wouldn't work), throw them in the crockpot with the cooked beans, diced tomatoes, equal parts chili powder and cumin, some chopped chilies, and some salt and pepper. I usually use black beans in the chili too, they're my favorite.