Creamy Pesto Beans

Our Creamy Pesto Beans is a flavorful and comforting dish you’ll want to eat for dinner. Fiber-rich cannellini beans are added to shallots and garlic, which are sautéed in heart-healthy extra-virgin olive oil. Prepared basil pesto is our time-saving flavor bomb for this recipe, and we packed in more flavor with Italian seasoning and a kick from crushed red pepper. Fresh basil adds brightness and, of course, we didn’t forget to add a bit of richness with heavy cream and umami-packed Parmesan cheese. Keep reading for our expert tips, including our best cooking techniques to bring out the most flavor in your ingredients. 

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Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• If you add the cheese to the hot bean mixture, the proteins will immediately seize and stick to the bottom of your pan. Let the bean mixture cool slightly, then gradually add the cheese to incorporate fully without sticking. 
• Blooming (aka heating) the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes enhances their complexity and adds depth. Stirring in the lemon juice and pesto off the heat helps preserve their freshness.
• To make grating cheese easier, you can use a food processor. Simply chop up the Parmesan cheese and then pulse it 4 or 5 times.
• You could use almost any canned beans for this recipe if you don’t have cannellini. If you can’t find no-salt-added cannellini beans, grab the salted variety and give them a good rinse.

Nutrition Notes

• Cannellini beans are fiber-rich creamy white beans. This heart-healthy plant-based protein choice is also a source of calcium, essential for muscle contraction (and that includes your heart muscle), and potassium for helping in blood pressure regulation. 
• Basil pesto is an excellent and flavor-packed convenience food that contains basil, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and sometimes lemon and Parmesan cheese. You can find pesto on the shelf by the pasta sauces, but look for a refrigerated type (like we suggest in the ingredients list) for a fresher flavor and brighter color. This all-in-one is packed with antioxidant and unsaturated fats—great for your heart. 
• Parmesan cheese adds umami-packed flavor, which has a distinctive taste often encompassing sweet, salty and earthy notes. Parmesan cheese is high in calcium, but low in lactose, making it a nutritious option for those with a lactose intolerance. While Parmesan cheese is often included in vegetarian diets, it is not considered a true vegetarian option because animal enzymes are used in the cheesemaking process. If this concerns you, look for a cheese that does not contain rennet.