Cannellini Beans

Cannellini Beans: Cannellini beans are large white beans, about 1/2" long, with a firm texture and skin and a nut-like flavor. Very popular in Italy, and especially Tuscany, cannellini beans are the reason Tuscans are referred to as "bean eaters", or "mangiafagioli" in Italian. Cannellini beans are mild in flavor and hold their shape well. A variety of the "common bean", cannellini are related to kidney beans, great northern, navy, and green beans, among others. As such they share the common bean's many health benefits: low in fat, high in protein, high in fiber, minerals, B vitamins...

Cannellini beans, like other kidney beans, require special preparation to remove compounds that can cause gastric distress. The beans only need to be boiled for 10 minutes to remove the toxins, but boiling is the key. Even though recommended cooking time is much longer than 10 minutes be sure to boil the beans for at least that long. Slow cookers, for instance, aren't hot enough to produce the temperature needed to remove the compounds. Soak your cannellini beans overnight, then boil them for 10 minutes before reducing the heat and simmering them for 1-2 hours or until tender. Adding salt to the cooking water can toughen some beans, with their already firm texture and skin you might want to go easy on the salt, or leave it out entirely.

Cannellini beans are very popular in many types of Italian cuisine. A staple of minestrones, fagioli's, and salads, dried cannelleni beans make a gourmet addition to any pantry. (Cannellini beans are more easily harvested when dry, so fresh cannellini are rare.) Their low cost, long shelf life, and gastronomic versatility make dried cannelleni beans indispensable in any gourmet kitchen. These gourmet beans double in size when soaked, so a few beans go a long way in a dish. Join an elite group of culinary experts, grab some cannellini and call yourself a "bean eater" today!

Cannellini Beans Facts:
• Cannellini beans are related to kidney beans
• Cannellini beans are also called "white kidney beans"
• They have a firm texture and skin
• Popular in Tuscan and other Italian cuisine
• Basic ingredient of minestrone
• High in protein and fiber and low in fat
• Cannellini beans are most commonly found dried

Nutritional data per 100g dried Cannellini: Alanine - 0.988 g Arginine - 1.460 g Ash - 3.83 g Aspartic acid - 2.852 g Calcium, Ca - 143 mg Carbohydrate, by difference - 60.01 g Copper, Cu - 0.958 mg Cystine - 0.256 g Energy - 1393 kj Energy - 333 kcal Fatty acids, total monounsaturated - 0.064 g Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated - 0.457 g Fatty acids, total saturated - 0.120 g Fiber, total dietary - 24.9 g Folate, DFE - 394 mcg_DFE Folate, food - 394 mcg Folate, total - 394 mcg Glutamic acid - 3.595 g Glycine - 0.920 g Histidine - 0.656 g Iron, Fe - 8.20 mg Isoleucine - 1.041 g Leucine - 1.882 g Lysine - 1.618 g Magnesium, Mg - 140 mg Manganese, Mn - 1.021 mg Methionine - 0.355 g Niacin - 2.060 mg Pantothenic acid - 0.780 mg Phenylalanine - 1.275 g Phosphorus, P - 407 mg Phytosterols - 127 mg Potassium, K - 1406 mg Proline - 1.000 g Protein - 23.58 g Riboflavin - 0.219 mg Selenium, Se - 3.2 mcg Serine - 1.282 g Sodium, Na - 24 mg Sugars, total - 2.23 g Thiamin - 0.529 mg Threonine - 0.992 g Total lipid (fat) - 0.83 g Tryptophan - 0.279 g Tyrosine - 0.664 g Valine - 1.233 g Vitamin B-6 - 0.397 mg Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid - 4.5 mg Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) - 0.22 mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 19.0 mcg Water - 11.75 g Zinc, Zn - 2.79 mg

Dried Cannellini Beans

Where to buy: Cannellini Beans