Cannellini beans are part of the white bean family and are incredibly easy to cook with, especially when you use canned beans. Every time I enjoy this dish, it takes me straight back to my parents’ home in Tuscany, where my love for simple Italian side dishes started.
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One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to simmer the beans in a light yet flavorful tomato sauce. It’s a rustic, no-fuss side dish that pairs perfectly with roast pork—or really, anything you’re serving for dinner.
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Spilling all the beans
I find that a good quality canned cannellini bean saves time compared to the long process of soaking and cooking dried beans. Canned beans also don’t contain any pesky skins which can affect the creamy texture. And they still manage to soak up all the flavor from the garlicky tomato sauce which, let’s face it, is the best part.
I love an easy tomato sauce.
Passata tomato sauce
Passata is the base for this simple and rustic tomato sauce. A pureed and strained tomato sauce, passata is usually found in a bottle and all you need is one. My favorite passata brands include Mutti and DeLallo.
All thanks to a parmesan rind
The tomato sauce and beans get creamy and thick thanks to a little help from a little piece of parmesan rind, a part of the cheese typically discarded. Parmesan rind adds a bit of salty creaminess and is the perfect punch of flavor.
Two steps to simple cannellini beans in tomato sauce
The perfect side dish
I love having this cannellini bean side dish in the fridge because it serves many functions:
- can be eaten at room temp as part of a light lunch or salad trio
- paired with a piece of grilled fish for a simple summer dinner
- mashed a bit to serve as a spread with some crostini
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Creamy Cannellini White Beans in Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 jar passata
- fresh basil sprigs
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 31 oz cannellini beans, 2 cans, rinsed and drained
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme , plus more for garnish
- 2” piece of parmesan cheese rind
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 T red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Toss around garlic and the crushed red pepper until you can smell it.
- Pour in the passata and stir. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
- Add the cannellini beans along with the fresh thyme sprigs. Tuck in the parmesan rind. Simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened and flavorful covering if the beans thicken too much.
- Before serving, stir in the red wine vinegar and sprinkle in the fresh parsley. Remove the parmesan rind and serve with crostini or crusty bread as a side dish.
