Great Northern Beans are a delicately flavored white bean related to the kidney bean and the pinto bean. They are typically grown in the Midwestern US, though some people may grow and harvest them elsewhere. Depending upon where you live, you may find them available canned or dried. Though called a white bean, the color of Great Northern Beans tends toward cream and some say they look similar in shape, albeit smaller, to lima beans.

Any recipe that uses other white beans like navy beans or cannellini beans can be made with Great Northern Beans instead. Though these beans alone may not have considerable taste, they do absorb flavor extremely well. They will easily take on the flavor profiles of spices or herbs used in cooking. Popular recipes that you can use these beans for include most varieties of baked beans and recipes like the French cassoulet. You can also toss Great Northern Beans into most soups you’re cooking, providing they’ve been pre-soaked or you’re using canned varieties.

Beans are certainly one of the best foods available. A cup of Great Northern Beans contains 14.7 grams of protein, and 12.4 grams of dietary fiber. These beans are also excellent sources of iron, magnesium and folate, and they have a scant 200 calories per cup. They can really bulk up the nutritional value of anything to which they’re added, and when they are combined with brown rice, they form a complete protein.

Like many legumes, if you buy Great Northern Beans dried, you will have to employ a soaking method prior to cooking them. There are numerous ways to soak beans, and these do help eliminate a little bit of the agents in beans that tend to cause gas. When you’re buying any type of dried beans, you’ll also want to make sure to sort through them before you begin soaking. Remove any beans that have an odd shape or color.

Some people have quick soak methods and others prefer to just soak the beans overnight prior to using them. Of course a shortcut is to simply buy canned, which are pre-soaked and ready to use. For the amount of fiber, roughly 50% of the US Recommended daily allowance in a cup, Great Northern Beans are truly “great” food. Consider adding these to lots of different recipes or mixing them in with other beans for wonderful color, nutrition, and taste.