One of the most underrated starter dishes is as simple to create as it is tasty: White beans with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. As they are super quick and simple to prepare, they are a great addition to your dinner or lunch. Furthermore, it is protein-packed and has lots of enticing health benefits!

Garlic Rosemary Beans Ingredients:

(Cannellini) Beans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic
Rosemary
Salt & pepper to season

In Italian cuisine, beans are essential to a lot of dishes. There is a great variety of beans used in different regions. For this dish, I like to use Cannellini beans, which are native to Tuscany but have established their popularity across Italy. Their creamy texture and subtle flavour pair amazingly with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and rosemary. If you cannot find Cannellini beans in your area, you can substitute them with another type of white bean.

Why are Garlic Rosemary Beans Healthy:

Beans, Garlic, Rosemary, and Olive oil all have anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, beans are a potent and cheap source of plant-based protein, making this dish a fine addition to a fitness diet. You may want to keep the caloric intake in mind though, this is so tasty it invites to overeat!

How to Cook Garlic Rosemary Beans:

To get started, let’s prepare our beans. If you are using dried beans, allow them to soak overnight. If using canned beans, give them a good rinse, and let the excess water drip off.

Take your garlic cloves, smash them using the flat surface of your knife, and dice finely. Add your extra virgin olive oil, as well as the garlic and rosemary, to your pan. Heat the pan on your stove and let the oil infuse with the flavours of the garlic and rosemary. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the beans to the pan when the garlic is turning golden. Mix well for a few minutes and allow the beans to coat with flavourful oil. Check for seasoning with salt and a few cracks of black pepper.

Plate the beans, and give them a last drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to finish them off. And that’s it. There is nothing left to do except enjoy these tasty garlic rosemary beans. You can eat them as a side dish (pairs well as a side to this tasty spaghetti aglio, olio e pepperoncino), or enjoy them on a crostini.

Some more Recipe Inspirations:

If making an antipasti platter, you can also have them next to:

If you are all about beans, consider giving these recipes a check:

These amazing homemade baked beans will bring your breakfast to a new level!
Fresh borlotti beans are the star of this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta.
The classic Egyptian breakfast, ful medames, features fava beans as its key ingredient!
This easy mediterranean chickpea stew makes a fantastic side dish.
A different garlic but just as tasty: Check out this wild garlic butter recipe. You can use it to make delicious wild garlic bread.
You can use fava beans to make a delicious, creamy hummus-like spread!