White Bean and Pancetta Ragout

Cannellini beans with pancetta is a simple white bean ragout made with white beans, pancetta, garlic, tomatoes, and shallots that come together for a delicious meal that you will be happy with anytime. The simple cannellini beans recipe will be a favorite once you try it.

Around our house, we are trying to eat a little less meat and more veggies and beans. My favorite bean is probably the cannellini bean, an Italian white bean that is creamy in texture and has great flavor.

I add these beans to so many dishes, even my easy pesto pasta!

I do like all beans though and make many dinners with them. My other favorite is my almost-from-scratch Cuban black beans. Equally as amazing but it uses black beans.

If I have more time, I love making a slow-cooked vegetarian cassoulet which is delicious. But for those busy nights, this ragout is what I turn to.

Why I love this White Bean Ragout

I like to rotate what beans we eat each week because each variety offers different nutritional value, much like vegetables. Cannellini beans (white beans) are not only healthy but they make a great substitute for an all-meat meal.

Although we are trying to eat less meat, I do like to add a little bit of pancetta or bacon to recipes just to maximize the flavors of the dishes I make. The amount of meat used is very small and it is really for flavor more than anything.

Using Canned Beans For A Quick Meal

This simple white bean and pancetta ragout is very simple to throw together because it uses store-bought canned cannellini beans that are rinsed. You can totally use dried beans if you have them or prefer them to the canned ones.

I like to have canned beans for those last-minute meals or busy evenings which seems to be often. I use it with my Mediterranean bean salad and Mediterranean grilled tuna steaks (that use beans as the side).

Ingredients to make this delicious and easy white bean ragout

• Canned cannellini beans
• pancetta (or bacon)
• chicken stock
• garlic
• small tomato
• salt and pepper
• red pepper flakes
• Good baguette or boule bread

I suppose this white bean ragout recipe is really a poor man's Italian food that has been jazzed up with the addition of pancetta. Sometimes I think that the poorer class had some of the better dishes and that we can just improve on them 🙂

As I mentioned above, this white bean ragout is a really great quick weeknight meal. It is ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish. You are really going to want to add this to your dinner rotation.

I love this meal so much that I will make it even if I have time to make something more elaborate. Sometimes simple meals are just the best.

How to make cannellini beans ragout

• Cook your pancetta until crispy
• Sautee your shallots and garlic
• Add your rinsed and drained cannellini beans and spices
• Add your chicken stock
• Simmer for 10 minutes
• Make your garlic crostini
• Serve immediately

It really is so easy!

If you have skeptics in your group who think beans cannot be a meal like I do, once they try this, they will be convinced that beans can be amazing. I really love recipes that can convince people to like something that they thought they never would.

It is the best compliment.

Serving this white bean ragout

The consistency of this cannellini beans dish is somewhere between plain beans and a light broth soup. It is not a soup though. There will be just enough broth for you to scoop into individual bowls along with the beans to have a touch of broth with each bite.

Because of that, I like to serve this ragout in shallow bowls.

The garlic crostini is very important in this dish because it adds that crunch factor that you need with these creamy beans. We like to dip our crostini into our bowls and scoop up a little of the beans and pancetta onto our crostini.

It is pure heaven!

This will make great leftovers as well so if there is any left after your meal, just store it in an air-tight container in the fridge and reheat it in the microwave when you are ready.

What to serve with this white bean ragout

If you are looking for ideas on things that go well with this ragout, here are some ideas:

More recipes with beans that you may like:

• Texas Borracho Beans
• Cuban Style Black Beans Recipe
• Refried Bean Tostadas
• Collard Greens with Pinto Beans
• Pinto Bean Salad