Cannelini, great Northern, navy, baby lima.

The next time you whip up a winter soup or want to round out a lunchtime salad, give one of these delicious beans a try!

Their creamy texture and nutty flavor make white beans a top choice when cooking everything from traditional Italian to down-home Southern.

They work well with a wide range of other flavors and ingredients, and beans make even the simplest meal nutritious and satisfying.

White beans can be used interchangeably in many recipes, but they do have some subtle differences.

Limas tend to be buttery and earthy while cannelinis are sweet and firm.

Great Northerns can have a crumbly texture that works well in stews, but creamy navy beans are a better choice for casseroles.

Beans from Scratch

Makes 5-6 cups

1 pound dried beans, any kind

1 to 3 teaspoons salt

Place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with several inches of water. Discard any beans that float to the top. Cover the bowl and soak the beans 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a 4- to 6-quart pot with a lid and cover them with an inch of water. Bring the beans and water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the pan, but leave the lid slightly ajar so steam can escape.

Cook until the beans are soft and creamy, about 2-4 hours depending on the freshness of your beans. Add 1-3 teaspoons of salt toward the middle of cooking, and more to taste. Add more water as needed so the beans stay covered.

This recipe equals about 4 (15-ounce) cans of store-bought beans.

Roasted Garlic and White Bean Soup

Serves 6-8

1 pound white beans
2 heads garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup whole milk or cream
Salt and pepper

Soak and cook the beans as described above.

Heat the oven to 375°. Remove the papery outer layers of the garlic, but leave the head intact. Using a sharp knife, trim the top 1⁄4 inch off the heads to expose the cloves. Drizzle both heads with oil, sprinkle with salt, and wrap them loosely in aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a 6-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onions with one teaspoon of salt until they are translucent. Add the celery and cook until the celery is soft and the onions are beginning to brown.

Add the herbs, beans, broth and water. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and into a food processor or blender. For a softer flavor, reserve the one of the heads of garlic for spreading on toast. Scoop about 1⁄3 of the soup into the food processor and puree.

Return the pureed soup and garlic to the pan. Add 1⁄4 cup milk or cream and stir to combine. Taste and add more milk, salt or pepper as desired. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Soup will keep refrigerated up to one week or frozen for six months.