White beans attract with their delicate taste, perfectly satiate, and are quite easy to prepare. It cooks better and becomes soft faster when compared with red beans. The flavor of white beans is exquisite. It goes well with vegetables, acts as a side dish, a base for soups and independent dishes. It is important to cook beans correctly, to know some secrets so that they are soft, pleasant and healthy. For example, if you cook legumes for too long, they will lose many of their valuable nutrients. And using an excessive amount of seasonings and spices will not allow you to enjoy the delicate taste and aroma of white beans. Someone, having tried legumes once, decides that they are not tasty enough. In fact, there are many recipes that can be used to prepare wonderful dishes from beans.

Remember a few nuances and good recipes to learn how to cook white beans and surprise your loved ones and friends with wonderful soups and side dishes.

Learning to cook white beans correctly
Many people run into some problems when they start cooking beans. It takes too long to soften and suddenly becomes less flavorful at the end of cooking. When frying, beans can burn; sometimes it is difficult to know exactly how long to simmer them in the oven, whether they need to be cooked before... The worst thing is when a bean dish turns out to be bitter. Take into account all the nuances in the process of preparing beans so that they please you with excellent taste and softness.

Be sure to sort through the beans. Remember that legumes must be sorted carefully. The most responsible companies cannot always guarantee the integrity of the beans. There are dried out legumes that have changed color and shape. Anything that seems suspicious should be thrown away.
Soak white beans. It is generally accepted that white beans are more tender, so you can do without soaking. In fact, white beans also need soaking. It will soften, the bitter taste and harmful substances will leave it. You need to soak the beans for 5-6 hours.
Discard the water after soaking. You cannot use the liquid that remains after soaking the beans! It is bitter and harmful to the gastrointestinal tract.
Cook the beans over low heat. Beans should not be cooked over high heat. As a result, it will lose significantly more beneficial properties.
Fry in a well-heated frying pan. The beans should be placed in a heated frying pan, well greased with olive or sunflower oil.
Make sure the beans are softened. Many people prefer to cook beans quickly, making dishes with fairly tough legumes. It is important to remember that undercooked beans are digested very poorly and provide virtually no benefit to the body. In addition, hard beans have a bad effect on the stomach and irritate its walls. Cook white beans for 50-60 minutes, no less.
Boil before baking or frying. If you decide to fry the beans in a frying pan, bake them in the oven, it is better to boil them before doing so. It is enough to spend 20-30 minutes on cooking, so that later the beans are processed less in a frying pan or in the oven, retaining valuable substances and aroma, but at the same time being tender.
Use minimal spices. White beans attract with their delicate taste and delicate aroma. If you use too many herbs and spices, you will not be able to experience the range of flavors of the beans. It is better to emphasize its benefits with fresh and cooked herbs and vegetables.

You can combine white beans with red ones, cook them with vegetables, herbs, meat, and serve them with special sauces.

We prepare delicious side dishes, soups and hearty dishes from white beans
White beans make wonderful side dishes and nutritious soups. You can also prepare wonderful stand-alone dishes from it. It is noted that legumes go well with beef, chicken, pork, mushrooms and fish. However, even with vegetables, beans are so filling that you can do without meat altogether.
Enjoy delicious and filling white beans and impress your family and friends with great dishes. Bon appetit!

Three simple and very tasty white bean dishes: white beans baked in foil with vegetables, a delicious vegetarian solyanka and a simple white bean salad with corn and croutons. To prepare them, you can use both canned and boiled beans. So let's get started.

White bean dishes - 3 simple and delicious recipes

White beans baked in foil with vegetables

Ingredients:

1 can of canned or 1 cup of pre-boiled beans;
1 medium carrot;
200 grams of cherry tomatoes;
a small bunch of greenery;
1 tablespoon thick tomato paste;
spices to taste (I use 1/3 teaspoon asafoetida, 1 teaspoon ground coriander).

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How to cook:

1. If using canned beans, drain and rinse beans in a strainer or colander.

2. Cut the carrots into cubes, chop the greens finely.

3. Mix beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, herbs, salt and spices in a bowl. Add a spoonful of tomato paste and stir again.

4. Place foil in the pan, add beans and vegetables and wrap. There is no need to pierce the foil. Instead of foil, you can use a baking sleeve.

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5. Place in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 200 degrees.

6. That's it! Our white beans baked in foil with vegetables are ready. Bon appetit!

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Delicious vegetarian white bean solyanka

Ingredients:

2 cans of white beans or 2 cups boiled;
2 cans of tomatoes in their own juice (400 grams each);
1 can of pitted olives (you can use olives with lemon, also very tasty);
4 medium pickled cucumbers;
a large bunch of your favorite greens;
1 level teaspoon of salt;
spices to taste (I used 1 teaspoon of ground paprika, a couple of pinches of black pepper; ½ teaspoon of asafoetida);
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

How to cook:

1. If using canned beans, drain and rinse the beans. Drain the liquid from the olives too.

2. Cut the cucumbers into small cubes, finely chop the greens.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan or thick-bottomed pan and fry the spices in it for 30-40 seconds. Add white beans and fry for 3-5 minutes.

4. Then add all the other ingredients - tomatoes (along with juice), cucumbers, olives, herbs, salt and spices. If the tomatoes are large, lightly mash them with a spatula.

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5. Mix everything well and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, covering with a lid.

6. That's it! Our delicious vegetarian white bean soup is ready. Bon appetit!

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Simple White Bean Salad with Corn and Mini Croutons

Ingredients:

1 can of canned white beans or 1 cup of boiled beans;
1 can of corn;
100 grams of cherry tomatoes;
a small bunch of greenery;
1 piece of black bread for croutons or a small pack of ready-made shariki;
salt, pepper to taste;
1 tablespoon vegetable oil;
0.5 teaspoon lemon juice (optional).

How to cook:

1. Drain and rinse cans of beans and corn.

2. Finely chop the greens. Cut the bread into thin strips or cubes and fry in vegetable oil, adding a little salt and adding spices if desired, until golden brown.

3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve. Bon appetit!

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Now you know how to cook 3 really tasty, simple and mouth-watering white bean dishes. ⇒ Save the article so as not to lose it.

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This may surprise you, but dishes made from such familiar and beloved beans appeared on our tables not so long ago. Back in the seventeenth century, beans were grown only in botanical gardens in Europe, as one of the strange plants of the New World. And only in the eighteenth century did beans begin their victorious march through the fields, and dishes made from them began to spread across the tables of Europeans. In Russia, beans appeared in the sixteenth century, but acquired their culinary significance only by the middle of the eighteenth century, winning the hearts of our ancestors, who called them Turkish beans. Today, beans are grown everywhere and are without a doubt one of the most popular and widespread legumes.

Some housewives, considering bean dishes to be too labor-intensive and requiring an unreasonable amount of time, completely exclude beans from their home menu. And completely in vain. Today we will try to show you that preparing delicious bean dishes can be not at all difficult, and the result of your labors will delight both you and your family. Let's try to figure out and remember together how to cook beans.

In general, when mentioning beans in cooking, it is customary to divide them into two different types - green beans and mature bean seeds. However, by default, when we talk about beans, we mean mature beans, the dry seeds of which are used to prepare many, many dishes. What can they cook from such beans! Delicious salads and appetizers, soups and chili, hot main courses and even desserts. Beans are boiled and stewed, fried and baked; light soufflés and hearty cutlets are prepared from beans. Beans go well with most vegetables, with pasta, with dairy products, with meat and poultry, which makes dishes made from them desirable both on the tables of meat-eaters and on vegetarian menus. Add here the excellent compatibility of beans with any herbs and your favorite seasonings and spices, and you will easily notice that the range of bean dishes is not limited by anything except your culinary imagination and taste preferences.

Today, “Culinary Eden” has collected and recorded for you the most important tips and little culinary tricks, coupled with proven recipes that will definitely help even the most inexperienced housewives, and will tell you how to cook beans.

1. When choosing beans in a store, pay close attention to their appearance. Bean grains must be smooth, uniform in color and size, without visible damage or signs of spoilage by pests. Be sure to check if there are any sticky bean grains in the bag, because sticky beans will indicate to you that the temperature or humidity conditions were violated during storage or transportation, and increased humidity of the grains is a sure sign of their spoilage. When purchasing factory-packaged beans, make sure the packaging is intact. Carefully inspect the bag of beans and make sure that the bag is free of excess debris and pests. When buying loose beans, smell them before purchasing. Any foreign odors, the smell of mustiness, mold, dampness, will indicate that you are being offered low-quality, spoiled beans. It is better to refuse such a purchase; you will not be able to prepare a tasty dish from spoiled beans.

2. When you bring your purchase home, carefully inspect the bean grains again, selecting those that show signs of pest damage. Store beans in tightly closed glass jars or plastic or tin containers with tight-fitting lids. In order to avoid the possibility of pest infestation of the beans, place two to three unpeeled cloves of garlic at the bottom of each jar. You can store beans either at room temperature by placing jars of beans in a dark, dry place, or at a lower temperature by placing a container with bean grains in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator. In general, the shelf life of bean grains should not exceed 12 - 16 months.

3. The preparation of most bean dishes begins with pre-soaking and boiling the grains. Soak the beans in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. During this time, the bean grains swell and soften slightly, which significantly reduces the cooking time. To make your beans cook even faster and become softer and more tender, when soaking, add soda to the water at the rate of one teaspoon of soda for every liter of water. Rinse the soaked beans thoroughly in running water, place in a deep saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Never add salt until the end of cooking, as this may cause your beans to remain tough. Then place the pan over high heat, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, skim off the foam, and cook the beans until tender over the lowest heat, checking periodically to make sure the beans are covered with water. If necessary, add a little boiling water to the beans as they boil. Cooking time depends on the type of beans and the duration of pre-soaking and can range from 30 minutes to two or even three hours. Just regularly check the readiness of the grains and their softness and remember that the finished beans should be absolutely soft, the concept of Al Dente does not apply to beans.

4. Fall is a great time to try a superbly delicious bean salad with pumpkin and goat cheese. Cut 400 grams into small pieces. pumpkin, place in a greased baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and bake in an oven preheated to 180° for 25 minutes. Cool the finished pumpkin and cut into cubes. Drain in a colander and rinse 400 g in cool water. boiled or canned beans. Break 200 grams into small pieces. soft goat cheese. Prepare the dressing separately. To do this, mix 6 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, 3 tbsp. spoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sweet mustard, 1 teaspoon of liquid honey, salt and white pepper to taste. Place beans in a salad bowl and pour half of the dressing over them. Top with pumpkin cubes and goat cheese pieces. Sprinkle everything with one tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves and pour over the remaining dressing.

5. One of the most popular appetizers of Georgian cuisine, lobio, will easily decorate both your everyday menu and your holiday table. Soak for eight hours, rinse and boil one glass of red beans in five glasses of water. The cooking time will be one and a half to two hours. When the beans are completely ready, pour out one glass of liquid, and lightly crush the beans using a masher so that part of the beans turns into puree. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons of vegetable oil, add one onion, cut into quarters of rings, and fry until golden brown. Place one glass of peeled walnuts and three cloves of garlic in a blender bowl, chop, add bean broth, and grind again to a puree. Add the fried onion to the beans, stir and heat for five minutes over low heat. Then add the nut mass, 1 teaspoon of suneli hops, 1 teaspoon of dried savory, salt and red pepper to taste. Stir and cook everything together, stirring constantly, for five minutes. Remove from heat, add 2 tbsp. spoons of red wine vinegar, mix thoroughly and cool. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

6. It’s not at all difficult to prepare a delicious bean soup with shrimp. Heat 3 tbsp in a saucepan. spoons of olive oil, add one finely chopped onion, one stalk of celery, cut into thin rings, and two chopped cloves of garlic. Fry over medium heat for seven minutes. Then add 400 gr. boiled or canned beans, two bay leaves, two sprigs of thyme and 500 ml. hot vegetable broth. Mix everything thoroughly, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Using a blender, purée the soup until smooth and then simmer over low heat for five minutes. Boil until tender and peel 20 large shrimp. Ladle the soup into bowls, add a few shrimp to each bowl, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

7. It's even easier to make a delicious, savory cheese soup with red beans. Cut one small onion, one carrot, two celery stalks into small cubes; chop three cloves of garlic. Heat 3 tbsp in a saucepan. spoons of olive oil, add vegetables and fry, stirring, for eight minutes. Then pour in 300 ml. dry white wine, stir and simmer everything together over low heat for 10 minutes. In a separate saucepan, boil 1 ½ liters of vegetable broth or water, add 150 g. chopped soft cream cheese and 100 gr. finely grated Parmesan, stir over low heat until the cheese is completely dissolved. Pour the finished cheese mixture into a saucepan with vegetables stewed in wine, stir and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Then add 400 gr. boiled or canned red beans, add salt and pepper to taste, stir and cook everything together for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Before serving, sprinkle the soup with chopped parsley and thyme.

8. Chicken drumsticks stewed with white beans and thyme are very tasty. Soak in advance, boil until tender and drain 500 grams in a colander. white beans. In a deep frying pan, heat 3 tbsp. spoons of olive oil and fry six chicken drumsticks over high heat until golden brown, 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the drumsticks to a platter. Add 1 more tbsp to the pan. a spoonful of oil, two finely chopped onions, three chopped garlic cloves, 250 gr. cherry tomatoes, 2 tbsp. spoons of chopped parsley and leaves from five sprigs of thyme. Simmer everything together over medium heat, stirring frequently, for two minutes. Then add chicken drumsticks, beans, salt and white pepper to taste. Stir, cover the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer everything together for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes.

9. Beans with lamb prepared according to the Lebanese recipe are unusually aromatic, tasty and very filling. Soak 250 gr for 12 hours. white beans. Place one kilogram of lamb on the bones, chopped into portions, into a deep saucepan. Pour in two liters of hot water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam and cook covered over medium heat for an hour and a half. Then add the beans, 1 teaspoon of ground allspice and 1 teaspoon of cumin and cook everything together for another hour. Heat 2 tbsp in a frying pan. spoons of vegetable oil, add two finely chopped onions and five chopped garlic cloves. Fry for five minutes until soft, then add 3 tbsp. spoons of tomato paste, stir and simmer for another five minutes. Place the stewed vegetables in a saucepan with the beans and lamb, add salt and red pepper to taste, mix thoroughly and simmer everything together for another 10 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

10. Dominican chefs offer us to try a delicious bean dessert. Soak 500 gr. soft red beans in warm water for six hours. Drain the water and grind the beans in a blender. Place the chopped beans in a saucepan, add four cups of hot milk, one cup of concentrated milk, three cups of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, two cinnamon sticks, six cloves, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg. Stir everything, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 20 - 30 minutes until thickened. Remove all whole spices, add 1 cup raisins and 6 tbsp. spoons of butter. Cook over low heat for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool. Serve in wide glasses, garnishing the dessert with pieces of fresh fruit and whipped cream.

And the “Culinary Eden” website on its pages is always happy to offer you even more important tips and interesting cooking recipes that will definitely tell you how to cook beans.

Cooking beans is a slow process, so it's best to plan ahead. In addition to the hour or two that the actual cooking will take, you need to take into account the time for soaking. The good news is that you won't have to do much.

How to prepare beans

The first thing to do is check the expiration date. Beans that have been sitting for more than a year are likely to have dried out. Such beans will not become soft and tender, no matter how much you cook them.

Sort through the beans (don't worry, it's quick) and discard any shriveled or suspicious beans, as well as stems and other debris.

Then rinse the beans thoroughly in a colander under cold running water.

The next step is soaking, and there are several good reasons for this. First, pre-soaked beans cook faster. This, by the way, is not the main reason: without soaking, the beans will cook longer by only 15–20 minutes.

Secondly, during soaking, oligosaccharides are partially dissolved, which cause increased gas formation in the intestines.

Thirdly, there is an opinion that during soaking beans lose so-called antinutrients - compounds that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. In particular, legumes contain phytic acid, which interferes with the absorption of zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron.

How to soak beans

There are two ways to soak beans:

1. Slow or cold method

Proponents of this soaking method claim that it eliminates the unpleasant side effects that legumes are notorious for. However, keep in mind that it takes time. Place the beans in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.

For 1 cup of beans you will need 5 cups of water.

2. Fast, or hot, method

If you don’t have time for long soaking, then simply pour the dry beans into a pan and add water in the same proportion as in the previous method. Bring the water to a boil and cook the beans for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the pan from the stove, cover and let sit for at least 1 hour.

Please note that the volume of beans after soaking and cooking will increase 2-3 times, so choose a larger pan.

By the way, some housewives claim that with this method of soaking the dish turns out tastier.

How to cook beans

After soaking, drain the water and rinse the swollen beans under running water. Then place it in a large saucepan and add water so that it completely covers the beans. Bring the water to a boil and add a tablespoon of sunflower oil or so that there is less foam.

Simmer the beans over low heat. You may need to add water to the pan from time to time during the cooking process. Depending on the type of beans, their shelf life and water hardness, the cooking time can range from 0.5 to 2.5 hours.

During cooking, the beans do not need to be stirred, and the pan does not need to be covered with a lid.

To know if the beans are ready, mash one with a fork or your fingers. Ideally, the beans should be soft, but not mushy. If the beans are still crunchy, then leave them to cook further and check for doneness every 10 minutes.

Subtleties

There is a fairly common myth that salt gives beans body and toughness, so you need to add it at the end. In fact, salt has no effect on the consistency of the beans, unless, of course, you are going to pour handfuls of them into the pan. Herbs can also be added at any time.

If a recipe calls for adding acidic ingredients such as lemon juice, wine, vinegar or tomatoes, do so after the beans are cooked. Otherwise, the beans may not turn out as tender as you would like.

Cooked beans can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It is recommended to use flat, shallow containers for this.

Do you have your own secrets for cooking beans? Share them in the comments.