Great Northern Beans

What are Great Northern Beans?

They are white beans, which are delicate in flavor. They are sometimes called white beans, although they are cream in color. They are similar in shape to the lima beans, but are a little smaller in shape. They are available in different versions, either canned as well as dried.

If you have a particular recipe, which demands navy beans or cannellini beans, instead you can use the great northern beans. These beans may not have a great taste, but they are good at absorbing flavor very well. They easily take the flavor of spices or herbs used in cooking. There are a lot of recipes, which can be made using these beans. The nutrition in these beans is as follows. It has 14.7 grams of proteins in one cup and 12.4 grams of dietary fiber. They are a good source of iron, magnesium and folate. In one cup, there are 200 calories in them.

There is always the dried beans vs canned beans dilemma, each one of us has. If you buy dry beans, you will have to soak them in water, before you can use them. There are number of different methods, which you can use to soak the beans, so that the agents in the beans, which tend to cause gas can be removed from the beans. The shortcut method is to buy canned beans.

Great Northern Beans Recipes

Great Northern Bean Soup
This soup is easy to make and is made with the great northern beans, tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, onions and diced ham.

Ingredients

• Great northern beans (soaked overnight, drained) 8 ounces
• Water 4 cups
• Tomato sauce 2 (8 oz.) cans
• Seasoned salt and pepper to taste
• Potatoes (diced) 2
• Carrots (shredded) 2
• Small onions (chopped) 2
• Diced ham 1 cup

Method

• In a pan cover beans with freshwater and bring them to a boil.
• Reduce heat and let the beans simmer for 30 minutes. Drain beans and keep them aside.
• Combine beans with tomato sauce, diced potatoes, carrots, onions and diced ham in a Crock Pot.
• Add salt and pepper seasoning and stir.
• Cook the soup on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes and adjust the seasonings before you serve. This soup can serve 4 people.

Great Northern Beans Vegetable

Ingredients

• Great northern beans 16 ounces
• Chicken broth (canned) 30 ounces
• Diced tomatoes with green chilies 15 ounces
• White onion (chopped) 1 large
• Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
• Smoked pork (cut into chunks) 6 ounces
• Salt ¾ teaspoon
• Black Pepper 1 teaspoon
• Water 48 ounces

Method

• Soak the beans in cold water overnight, but make sure there is twice as much water as beans, so that they have space to swell up.
• In a large cooking pot, pour cooking oil and toss the smoked pork pieces in the oil. Stir well and let the pieces sizzle over medium heat for 5 or 6 minutes till they become brown in color.
• Then add about 4 ounces of the chicken broth to the pan and let it simmer for a minute.
• Then add the onion to the pan and let it simmer until the onion is tender.
• Rinse the beans in freshwater and add them to the pork mixture. Then add all the remaining ingredients, but do not forget the water.
• Bring it to a boil, then cover and let it cook over low heat until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Serve this bean vegetable either with cornbread, fried potatoes or eggs.

These beans are also good for people, who are on a diet or follow vegan diet. If you suffer from bloating, then it is recommended, you soak the beans in warm water, so that the gas element is removed from the beans.