White Beans in Tomato Sauce Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

What does it mean when a recipe calls for white beans? ›

So, if you come across a recipe calling for Small White Beans, it most likely means Navy Beans. Whatever you call them, Navy Beans are worth adding to your grocery list. When cooked, Navy Beans become quite creamy so they're a great candidate for vegan dips and sauces.

Due to simple ingredients, delicate aromas and nutritional value, white beans in tomato sauce are the most popular and traditional part of every English breakfast. As one of the staple legumes, white beans represent a nutritious and high-quality food that is naturally rich in fibre and protein.

Compared to cannellini beans, standard butter beans are quite large; the latter measures up to an inch and a half while cannellini beans typically grow no longer than ½ an inch. Moreover, in Italy and some parts of the United States, cannellini beans are also referred to as white kidney beans.

Quick & Easy Baked Beans in tomato sauce: Method

Add Mutti tomatoes and a little water by rinsing out the tin. Cook for 20mins or until the sauce is thick and rich. Add beans and cook for a couple of minutes until beans are heated through.

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.

Due to their creamy white color, navy beans are sometimes confused with other white beans such as great northern beans, cannellini beans, or white kidney beans. Although their taste is similar, navy beans are smaller and rounder than these other varieties.

What Are White Beans? White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc.

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.

Black-eyed peas or beans aren't entirely white; they have a small black eye on each bean. They are small and quite plump, being more round than the average oblong or kidney-shaped bean. They're denser than many other white beans, retaining their firm texture even after being well cooked.

Baked beans offer beneficial plant compounds, including polyphenols, as well. These may protect your cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals and inhibit inflammation. Both free radical damage and inflammation have been linked to heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases ( 6 , 7 ).

Are canned beans in tomato sauce healthy? ›

Including beans and pulses in your diet is also associated with a lower cardiovascular risk and may help balance blood sugar levels. Shop-bought baked beans (canned in tomato sauce) are a quick, easy and cost-effective snack or component of a meal, but don't forget they have added ingredients including salt and sugar.

Flavor It

Even better, season it! Taste the sauce once it's warm and add some seasoning. Maybe it needs a touch of salt, red pepper flakes, or some fresh garlic to liven it up. You could add dried or fresh herbs too: oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley—they're all great!

The cooking time refers to the time needed to cook dry beans after you soak them. If a recipe calls for white beans, you can use Great Northern beans, navy beans, or white kidney beans (also called cannellini beans).

White beans as a category includes navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, etc. These are the most popular types of white beans (cooked white beans), however each type has its own unique peculiarities and features.

Both cannellini beans—also known as white kidney beans—and great northern beans are small- to medium-size white beans that are widely available in the U.S. in cans and dried. Both types of bean also originated and were cultivated in the area that is now South America and are part of the Phaseolus vulgaris species.

Since they're so similar, if a recipe calls for 1 type of white bean, it's usually perfectly fine to substitute a different type. If you can't find white beans at all, you may be able to substitute pinto beans or garbanzo beans. Depending on the recipe, black beans or fava beans may also be a good option.