The white bean goes by many names, among them the white navy bean, pea bean, haricot, and cannellini. The beans require overnight soaking, so you have to think a day ahead in order to prepare them, but they’re worth it.  There’s not a lot of work involved in this recipe, and it’s a delicious, very filling, and healthy dish.  Because the beans fill you up quickly, you probably won’t eat a lot at once, and they are great reheated the next day.  Do note that these beans have a lot of starch, however, they are rich in dietary fiber, which means they provide steady, slow-burning energy.

Ingredients:
1 pound dry white beans, soaked overnight

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

5 large cloves garlic

6-8 sage leaves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Drain and rinse the soaked beans.  Place them in a large pot with 2 of the garlic cloves, and cover with one inch of water.  Cook the beans until soft (approximately 2 hours) adding water if needed.

Drain the beans and set aside.

Chop the remaining 3 garlic cloves. In a pot, sauté the garlic and sage in the olive oil until the garlic starts to brown (2 minutes). Stir in the beans and add the crushed tomatoes. Cook for 20-30 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.

Add the salt, serve warm

Serves: 8

Carbohydrates per serving: 42g

White Beans Quick Facts: a good source of dietary fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, potassium and copper, and a very good source of folate and manganese.