Description
Canned cannellini beans are okay, but have you ever tried cooking dried cannellini beans on the stovetop? Cooking cannellini beans from scratch is easy, and economical, and most importantly, the beans taste way better cooked this way! Planning ahead and soaking the beans makes the cooking time faster so take the time to do this step, then all you need to do is boil the beans. I hope you’ll give it a try!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups dried cannellini beans
- water for soaking and boiling the beans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepping the beans
- Sort through the dried cannellini beans and discard any discolored beans or debris.
- Thoroughly rinse the beans with running water in a colander.
- Place the rinsed soaked beans in a large bowl or container and cover with cold water. You’ll need plenty of water. The water level should look like 1 part beans (in the container) to 3 parts water. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water.
- Leave the soaking beans on a counter and uncovered for 6 hours (or up to 24 hours).
Cooking the beans
- Put the beans (which have been soaking for 6 hours) in a large pot and cover them with fresh water. The beans should be covered by 3-4 inches of water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Bring the beans to a boil. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Once beans have come to a boil, skim off any foam on the top.
- Reduce the heat to a low. You want a slow gentle boil, not a slow simmer.
- Cook the beans on low heat for approximately 75 minutes (or a bit longer if the beans have not yet softened to your desired result).
Notes
- The cooking time for cannellini beans on the stove can vary. The age of the cannellini beans makes a difference and old beans take longer to soften.
- Baking soda helps reduce cooking time and helps soften the beans, but it can be omitted.
- Add more water if necessary. The amount of water in the pot will reduce near the end of the cooking process, but the beans should still look like they are in some broth when they are fully cooked.
- Once you get the hang of cooking cannellini beans on the stovetop, experiment by adding bay leaf, garlic cloves, or even vegetable stock to the cooking water.
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 85 minutes
- Category: legumes
- Method: boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: how to cook cannellini beans, Tuscan white beans, cooked Italian white beans