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 ⅓ 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
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 ⅓ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- ¼ 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.
Suzy! This is SO delicious ... plus quick and easy to make. We loved it and will be making it again soon.
Wonderful to hear, Shari! I love that it was a hit.
Thank you Suzy, this was a very tasty dish I will add to my recipes. I did add other things to it which I had and wanted to use up.Chicken & broccoli rabe. Again I loved it & your olive oil is superb.
Awww! Thank you so much, Karen!
FANTASTIC flavor party here! This is my new favorite "quick-on-the-go" dish. So delicious & quick to make. Thanks for another great recipe, Suzy!
Definitely a flavor party! LOL! Glad you enjoyed it!
Who would have thought something so simple could be so good! Made half of the recipe tonight as there are only 2 of us and we both were very impressed. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you loved it, Linda!
Absolutely loved this dish! Quick, easy and healthy!
Oh my goodness. As a southern gal, I always knew I loved beans. But this recipe takes beans to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL! It is absolutely delicious! So creamy. So hearty. With cornbread, it was a MEAL for us! LOVE LOVE LOVE
Thanks so much, Marsha!
Oh my gosh! I knew I would like this, but wow! I added some kale for extra veggies and this is a party in my mouth! This will be on a regular dinner rotation 😋🤤
Love the kale idea, Becky! Always great to have some more greens!
This was a very good party 🙂 I've made a similar recipe for brochette, but this one is better. Just place this bean party on top of a toasted baguette & you're done. I don't have aleppo so I "went in" with a mixture of sweet paprika & a bit of cayenne & it was very tasty. I've never cared for romano cheese, but with the parmesan & Italian parsley it definitely did not need it. The lemon juice at the end puts it over the top. I added sliced Italian sausage to make it a filling meal with a hot-from-the-oven roll & green salad. I think this recipe kind of screams (when it's not partying) for sausage. Very filling & I'll be making this party again.
Thanks for sharing your adaptations here, Benni! This is definitely a fun recipe to play with a bit!
As others commented, I discovered this website when the virus thing first started. I would never have guessed I would love the recipes I try so much ! These white beans are an example, just delicious. I cooked the beans as I don't like anything that has a "salty" taste as most canned beans do. I followed the recipe exactly, but as usual I "kicked" it up a bit with little light sprinkle of turmeric, a HEAVY shake of zaatar (a new spice I LOVE due to finding this website) and trying the recipe of pasta (I used linguini) with garlic, spinach, and zaatar. That one has also become a favorite dish.
Ann Marie, what do you mean you cooked the beans? I, also, don't typically like canned beans since they are too salty for me.
Ainslie, I think she means she used dried beans, then soaked and cooked them. Suzy gives directions on how to cook dried beans in the article, above.
Thank you for sharing, Ann Marie! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! I added some chicken broth and some spinach for more of a soup. Easy and quick!
Thank you for the comment on your experiment turning this into a soup ! I loved this recipe and started thinking how I could make it into a soup without changing the taste radically. Considered chicken broth or vegetable broth, didn't know which to try, so chicken it will be, and spinach also sounds like a great addition (fresh and chopped I assume would be best) so going to try it ASAP !
Since I started cooking with you (early pandemic to keep myself from going insane and gaining 50 lbs 😀 ) I very frequently have all the ingredients on hand so can whip this up as a side tonight! Love that! Thanks!
Way to go, Julie! Hope you enjoy this one!
I loved these beans. So easy. I tossed them together for a quick delicious lunch.
I just left out the pepper as I'm completely pepper and chilli shy but I added a few chopped anchovies.
Thank you.
Great idea with the anchovies, Candy!
You gave the directions to drain the beans and add water. For more flavor, could I use the liquid in the cans in place of the water?
Hi, Cherylynn! That's what I did, and it *totally* worked - I think it gave it, idk a little more salty-beany flavor than I might have had if I'd just used water. Maybe it's my imagination! But it was delicious!!! I threw in a few more halved cherry tomatoes (because I'm a fool for tomatoes) and a diced, sauteed onion (because, well... onion...), but it was wonderful!
Thank you Chrissie for taking the time to respond to my question. I'm definitely going to go with your idea on the sauteed onion too...like you said, because...well...onion - I totally agree!
Thanks for sharing your experience with this Chrissie. Good to know!
Hi, Cherylynn. I have never tried that, so I'm not sure if that would work. I feel like it may make the dish taste overly salty. It's a pretty flavorful dish, so I really recommend making it as is.
Omg. So Delish!! I also added Kale. It was so easy and divine. Healthy and hearty. Thx
I actually had all the ingredients for this recipe on hand (except for the parsley), so I decided to make this as a dinner side tonight to go along with some baked chicken. Really quick and yummy!
I love to hear that, Meredith! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I can not believe how simple and delicious this recipe looks! Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it, Amanda!