One key memory from a trip to Italy was one of the very first meals I ate at a little trattoria on the way to our house in Tuscany. My parents are so good at finding little restaurant gems and (no surprise) Italy is loaded with them.
After being acquainted with the menu and reassured that I didn’t have to order something from each course (primi piatti, secondi piatta – first plate and second plate, respectively), my parents ordered some cannellini beans to go with our meal.
I had no idea what was coming.
Twenty years later —I’m still thinking about those beans.
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Maybe you really don’t care and just want to skip to the recipe, but if you want to know more, I’m happy to oblige.
Here’s how we eat them at home:
- Next to a big helping of juicy roast pork
- Wrapped in a tortilla with some roasted veggies and lemony Itlalian arugula salad
- As part of a salad supper with farro and citrus salad and my favorite panzanella.
And why I love serving them at Italian meals:
- Ultimate in simplicity. One of the things I learned about Italian cooking from traveling to Italy is that the cooks make the most of what is available to them. They are using fresh produce from the market and shop pretty much every day. This cannellini bean salad (or is it a side?) only takes 10 minutes to make. Simple, right?
- Few ingredients. In Italian cooking, less is always more. And white beans with sage and garlic pretty much means the dish has the best white beans with the freshest sage leaves and gorgeous, bright white garlic. Quality always over quantity!
- Flavor party. The beautiful thing about beans is they soak up whatever they’re paired with and the slivered sage and garlic-scented oil is a flavor powerhouse.
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Ingredient rundown
It’s a quick list:
Fresh sage tip
When buying fresh sage leaves, make sure to unfold the leaves before frying. They’ll be much prettier this way too!
How I whip up cannellini beans with sage and garlic
My favorite ways to serve and store
Serving tips
Spoon inside crisp romaine lettuce cups and served up on a big platter.
Tossed with hot pasta, sliced pan seared chicken breasts and a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of pasta water. Sprinkle over fresh grated Parmesan.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight resealable preferably glass container for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before gently stirring to serve.
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Ten Minute Italian Cannellini Beans with Sage and Garlic
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Ingredients
- 32 oz cannellini beans, from 2 cans
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus ⅛ cup
- 8 fresh sage leaves, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 head garlic
- Parmesan cheese, shaved or thinly sliced into shards
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste
- pinch cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Open both cans of cannellini beans. Drain one in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, reserving the aquafaba (milky liquid). Drain the other can completely and rinse the beans.
- On a wooden cutting board, press your palm on the side of the knife blade to firmly "whack" the garlic cloves to remove the skin. Peel the cloves. Slice the garlic very thinly. You can also use a mandoline but be very careful!
- Remove the leaves from the stems on the sage. Open any curled leaves and press flat
- Heat olive oil over medium skillet on low until small bubbles form. Add garlic and sage and "fry" until garlic is golden brown and sage darkens.Remove the skillet from the heat.
- To the skillet, add the beans, ½ of the aquafaba to start and toss gently to combine the oil, garlic and sage. Taste and add more aquafaba as desired.Top with thin shards of parmesan cheese, more small sage leaves and healthy amounts of kosher salt and pepper.
Notes
- Crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper can be added for spicy flavor.
This is the most delicious bean recipe I have ever made. It has beautiful aroma and very flavorful. I could just imagine being in Italy while I indulged myself with the flavors. I wanted the leftovers. That’s not the case with leftovers on a regular basis. I’m going to keep cannelli beans in my pantry.
Rita – you made my day! I’m so glad you liked it! And if you like beans, check out the pasta fagioli or the red cannellini beans. I must say, they’re just as tasty!! 😊
This was really delicious! I halved the recipe and didn’t use quite as much garlic, but that’s the only thing that I changed. SO GOOD!!
So happy you enjoyed the beans Theresa! One of my favorite sides for sure! Thank you for trying them – haha and yes, it’s a definitely not light on the garlic but glad you adjusted to your preference.