Bean and Legume

45 White Bean Recipes for Soups, Salads, Stews, and More

Sure, you can crack the can of white beans and just eat them drizzled with olive oil and doused with salt and pepper. But these creamy beans can do so much more.
Photo of a favorite white bean recipe easy marinated white beans with oil vinegar and herbs on toast.
Photo by Alex Lau

The good thing about bean recipes is they're often pretty flexible. So if you're looking for a white beans recipe because you have a few cans of cannellini or Great Northern beans in your pantry (or a few bags of dried white beans on your shelf), you can start below, or consider any of these options, too.

  • Marinated Bean in a white bowl
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop styling by Tim Ferro, Food styling by Taneka Morris
    1/45

    Marinated Mixed Beans

    A white beans recipe can be as simple as this: Soak a shallot (or onion) in vinegar, mix whatever herbs you have with oil, combine it all with the white beans to avoid oxidation, and keep in the fridge for several days.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
    2/45

    Shrimp with Herby White Beans and Tomatoes

    This one-pot meal of shrimp (frozen work well!) and white beans is herby, sweet, and garlicky all at once. To add more green, throw in a handful of arugula or spinach at the end; for more garlic, pair it with garlic toast.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    5/45

    Clams in White Bean Sauce

    Any type of medium white beans work for this one-pot dinner. Just make sure to enjoy it with a side of country-style bread for soaking up the lemony, herb-packed sauce.

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  • Ditte Isager
    6/45

    Toasted Spelt Soup with Escarole and White Beans

    This dish was inspired by pasta e fagiole, the classic Italian pasta and bean stew. Unlike macaroni, the grains stay nice and chewy, even when reheated days later.

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  • Photo by Gentl & Hyers
    15/45

    Pasta e Fagioli With Escarole

    Don’t toss out your Parmesan rind. Use it to flavor the beans and broth for this comforting classic.

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  • Photo by Christopher Testani
    16/45

    Bean Salad With Lemon and Herbs

    Think of this salad recipe as loose inspiration: pair something crunchy, like green beans, with something hardy, like cooked white beans, and something tangy, like capers and lemon.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    21/45

    Escarole with Cannellini Beans

    This makes an extra quart of cooked beans. Save (or freeze) for another batch of escarole, or serve them simply warmed in their broth.

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  • Photo by Danny Kim, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi
    22/45

    Campanelle with White Beans, Lemon, and Burrata

    This bright, refreshing pasta features lemons, capers, white beans, and arugula. If you don't have burrata on hand, you could substitute feta, goat cheese, or even a dollop of yogurt.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle
    23/45

    Creamy Rice and Beans in Three Classic Flavors

    White beans a few ways, whether you like 'em smoky, garlicky and tomatoey, or herby and green.

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  • Gentl & Hyers
    24/45

    Oil-Poached Tuna Salad

    This lovely salad pairs navy beans with rosemary, fresh tuna steaks, anchovy, Dijon, cherry tomatoes, green beans, and olives. Luckily, it's pretty darn tasty even if you don't have the whole list of ingredients.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    25/45

    Stewed Cannellini Beans with Chiles and Thyme

    This white bean recipe is purposely brothy; if you have leftovers, reheat and smash them—they're great on toast with an egg. Also, if you have any leftover meat, throw it in during the last few minutes of cooking for an even heartier flavor.

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  • Photo by Christopher Testani
    26/45

    Kale Minestrone With Pistou

    Skip expensive store-bought stock: you can extract cleaner, stronger broth from water and a few pantry items you probably already have on hand (think bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parm rind, and, of course, kosher salt).

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  • Andrew Purcell, food styling by Carrie Purcell, prop styling by Sarah Cave
    27/45

    Cannellini Beans with Sweet Paprika and Garlic

    These white beans are flavored with paprika and garlic, plus whatever vegetables you can scrounge up in the fridge. A little carrot adds sweetness.

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  • 28/45

    Brothy Beans

    When your beans are tender, take them off the heat and focus on the cooking liquid, doctoring it with good olive oil, salt, and pepper, tasting and seasoning it until the liquid itself is straight-up delicious.

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  • Photo by Ditte Isager
    29/45

    Spaghetti With Mussels and White Beans

    Mussels and white beans, with a can of whole peeled tomatoes and garlic, make for a pasta meal that feels downright festive.

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  • Quentin Bacon Photography
    30/45

    White Bean Salad

    Creamy white beans, fresh basil, and crunchy young vegetables are combined in a light but substantial salad that takes advantage of the first fruits of the spring garden.

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  • Romulo Yanes
    31/45

    Garlic Shrimp and White Beans

    Tomato paste and dried chiles lend deep flavor to this easy bowl of shrimp and white beans.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    32/45

    Pine Nut and White Bean Dip

    Toasting the pine nuts until they’re properly golden brown to the center and not just on the surface is key in coaxing out maximum flavor. That said, pine nuts are expensive and can burn, so keep a close eye on them as they cook.

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  • Photo by Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn
    37/45

    Picnic Three-Bean Salad

    This salad is really flavorful and filling, and super easy to make. Apple cider vinegar keeps it bright.

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  • Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Andy Baraghani
    38/45

    Marinated Beans with Celery and Ricotta Salata

    This side dish is so fast and easy, you can make a big batch and have it for the whole week. The simple marinade will fancy up any type of canned beans.

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  • Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    39/45

    Greens and Beans with Fried Bread

    A day-old loaf of good bread can reach new heights when it's thick-cut and pan-fried in olive oil. We top these giant croutons with steamed clams or mussels, sink them into brothy soups, and crumble them over big salads.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    40/45

    Classic Cassoulet

    Does this cassoulet recipe seem daunting? Don‘t worry. We give you plenty of road signs along the way so you can break it up into several manageable steps.

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  • Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
    41/45

    Slow Cooker Ribollita

    Ribollita is like a heartier version of minestrone, thickened with bread and redolent with garlic. It is a beautiful soup when it’s fresh from the pot, but it is also perhaps the most noble of leftovers.

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  • Photo by Lisa Fuhrman
    42/45

    Quick and Easy Bean Salad

    This white beans recipe is about as easy as it gets. Just mix drained, canned beans with onion, parsley (if you've got it), balsamic, and a chopped tomato.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
    43/45

    Saucy Beans and Artichoke Hearts With Feta

    Use the biggest beans you can buy for this Greek-inspired dish—baby limas are easy to find, but gigante beans are amazing too.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    44/45

    Ham Hock and White Bean Stew

    If you can’t find corona or gigante beans for this stew, use smaller white ones like cannellini. Keep in mind that they’ll cook a lot faster, so give the ham a 30-minute head start.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
    45/45

    White Bean Salad With Lemon and Cumin

    This is one of our favorite easy white bean recipes: Toss cooked beans with red onion and a lemony cumin dressing, then wrap in lettuce or pile on crackers. 

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