When it comes to picky eaters I have quite an experience 😉 My little adorable Luca is going through a phase of “I do not want meat, mommy!” and not even the beloved Italian meatballs with tomato sauce will appeal him. Meat equals proteins and if he doesn’t want to eat meat I have to find another way to offer him proteins. That’s when my creativity comes to help.
The cannellini beans and zucchini muffins with feta cheese have been a surprisingly appreciated substitution for a meat meal. Kid happy + mommy happy! It’s vegetarian and gluten free at the same time!
They are tasty thanks to the feta cheese, soft and creamy thanks to the cannellini beans and moisten thanks to the zucchini. In addition to that between the eggs and the beans they are loaded with proteins!!
That’s all you will need for 12 muffins:
PROCEDURE:
– Wash the zucchini, cut the edges and grate them in small flakes with an hand grater or with an electric one.
Place the zucchini in a colander to naturally drain their liquid. Adjust with a pinch of salt on top: it will help the zucchini to loose their water. Set it apart for 30 min.
Meanwhile place the chopped half onion and the garlic clove in a blender and blend everything for 30 sec. Try to reduce the onion in very small pieces, the smaller, the better.
Add the cannellini beans previously removed from the can and washed under running water. Blend everything in order to obtain a nice creamy mix.
Take a medium size bowl and add the cannellini beans mix and the eggs. Stir.
Slowly add the rice flour and mix in order not to form grains
Add the parmesan and stir
Add the feta cheese and the zucchini. If the zucchini look still kind of watery to you, drain some extra water with your hands and add the zucchini to the mix. Stir everything.
Using a silicon cupcake mold, place two generous tablespoons of mix in each hole and fill it. As the muffins do not have any baking powder inside they will not raise a lot. Bake the muffins in the pre-heated oven at 350 F. for 45 minutes. Let them cool down and enjoy! I think that they are best if served warm.
Enjoy!
HOW TO STORE THE CANNELLINI MUFFINS
The muffins can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days (and warmed up either 30sec in the microwave or 1min in the toaster) or can be frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months. To thaw them I would place them in the microwave for 30 sec and then warm them up for 1 min in the toaster to prevent them to get soggy.
29 Comments
Did you make this recipe? Share the love, tag @buonapappa on Instagram and hashtag it #buonapappa I would love to see your creations!
Cannellini beans and zucchini muffins recipe | Channll
September 19, 2014 at 6:44 am[…] Check out the full recipe + ingredients on my blog:https://www.buonapappa.net/cannellini-beans-zucchini-and-feta-muffins/ […]
Katie
September 29, 2014 at 7:32 pmJust as an extra note, you’re also getting a good deal of protein from the eggs and cheese as well, not just the beans.
Debby
October 5, 2014 at 8:35 pmI am a grandmother and I’m trying not to bother my daughter with my concern about her oldest son, aged 2, and how he doesn’t eat as much as he used to and I worry he isn’t eating healthy. My daughter does but his diet seems to be more processed than hers. I can’t wait to make these! I’m not much of a cook but these look so good for us! I have to tell you too that I just love your accent and the music you play in background on some of your videos! Love your European touch!
Barbara Lamperti
October 13, 2014 at 3:42 amHi Debby!!
thank you indeed for watching BuonaPappa. Between the age of 2 and 5 kids can become very very picky eaters. My little Luca doesn’t eat a lot compared to his little brother Alex, but it seems that what he’s eating is enough for him. I just make sure that even if not a lot, he’s eating healthy homemade food 😉
What I’m trying to do is to create fun meals: I play with shapes, colors, I create animals, faces with food or I just tell him a fantasy story around a plate.
I’m very glad you like BuonaPappa and I hope your little nephew will enjoy some of my recipes.
ciao ciao,
b
Debby
October 5, 2014 at 8:35 pmI am a grandmother and I’m trying not to bother my daughter with my concern about her oldest son, aged 2, and how he doesn’t eat as much as he used to and I worry he isn’t eating healthy. My daughter does but his diet seems to be more processed than hers. I can’t wait to make these! I’m not much of a cook but these look so good for us! I have to tell you too that I just love your accent and the music you play in background on some of your videos! Love your European touch!
Bárbara
October 11, 2014 at 7:06 pmHi! I’m your brazilian fan 😀
Tell me: can I don’t put the feta cheese? Is very expensive here.
Thanks!
Barbara Lamperti
October 12, 2014 at 1:37 amHi!
Thank you for watching BuonaPappa from such a wonderful country like Brazil!!!
The feta gives the muffins a nice salty taste, otherwise they would be too bland. You can substitute the feta with any other strong flavored cheese. Queso fresco might be an options. Is it easy to find for you?
ciao!!
Bárbara
October 13, 2014 at 1:32 pmYour name is Barbara too!
Thank you for the answer!
Ciao 😀
Miriam
February 15, 2015 at 9:48 pmThis recipe looks amazing, I definitely will try it. I just have one question, can I use all purpose flour instead of rice flour?
Greatings from México!
Barbara Lamperti
February 15, 2015 at 10:53 pmHi Miriam! thank you so much for watching BuonaPappa!!! yes, you can substitute rice flour with all purpose one. I used rice flour as I wanted a gluten free recipe. Let me know if you like them!! ciao, b
Miriam
February 15, 2015 at 9:48 pmThis recipe looks amazing, I definitely will try it. I just have one question, can I use all purpose flour instead of rice flour?
Greatings from México!
Barbara Lamperti
March 2, 2015 at 5:20 amHi Miriam,
yes, sure. I used rice flour as I wanted to make the cake gluten free. ciao! b
Lucia
June 28, 2015 at 4:03 pmI love your videos,I will spend 2 weeks with my grandchildren and will make this for them.Thank you so much you are wonderful ciao Lucia
Barbara Lamperti
July 11, 2015 at 9:21 pmHi Lucia! Thank you so much for watching BuonaPappa. Your grandchildren will love your recipes. Grandmas rock!!! ciao, b
Daisy
July 14, 2015 at 6:59 amHello Barbara,
I have 14 months old girl who used to be very good eater. Suddenly, she does not eat any food I made nor purchase it. This recipe looks good, I will try it for my daughters.
Thanks,
Staci
Barbara Lamperti
July 15, 2015 at 1:09 pmHi Staci! do not worry, it happens to a lot of babies. They are wonderful eaters and suddenly they start refusing some foods or even any food. Teething might be a reason or they just go through a rejection phase of a particular texture/taste/color/shape. It happened to my little Luca. My suggestion is not to give up with your healthy homemade baby food. Be patient and keep offering your little one a nice variety of fresh and seasonal recipes. Just remember that it is only a phase and soon or later she will change again her food taste. Good luck and let me know how it goes!! ciao, b
How to Make My Cannellini Bean Salad | Bean Recipe
August 23, 2015 at 3:26 am[…] Check out the full recipe + ingredients on my blog: https://www.buonapappa.net/cannellini-beans-zucchini-and-feta-muffins/ […]
shruti
February 19, 2016 at 11:33 amIs there a substitute for Feta cheese in this?
Barbara Lamperti
February 19, 2016 at 5:22 pmHi! yes, any sharp salty flavor cheese will work. Gouda, Pecorino. ciao! b
Laura Maxwell
March 17, 2016 at 6:20 pmThese muffins are amazing. My son is very picky and he loves them! Thank you for this website and for providing such delicious and healthy recipes for our kids! Also, love your website name, buona pappa. Very fitting!
Barbara Lamperti
March 21, 2016 at 2:37 amThank you Laura, it’s such a pleasure knowing that my recipes can be enjoyed by other families!! Thanks, b
Cannellini beans and zucchini muffins recipe – Easy Low Cal Recipes
October 15, 2016 at 3:59 am[…] Cannellini beans, zucchini and feta muffins […]
Alexandra
January 19, 2019 at 9:20 amDear Barbara
Made a little to extra mixture, would be ok or not to freeze it?
Great recipes
Barbara Lamperti
February 15, 2019 at 10:40 pmHi Alexandra! I would bake more muffins with the extra batter and freeze once baked, it’s easier to thaw them once cooked 🙂
Ciao!! b
Ines
August 19, 2019 at 8:55 amHi Barbara!
Unfortunately, they turned out way to soggy so I checked your video to figure out what went wrong and I noticed that I had much more grated zucchini, even though I left them to drain for an hour. Are you sure you put 1 kg (2.2 lb) of zucchini?
Barbara Lamperti
September 25, 2019 at 5:48 pmHi Ines!
I double checked the recipe and yes, I confirm around 1Kg or 4 large zucchini. I squeezed them a lot to remove as much liquid as possible.
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. You can definitely try with less zucchini. I would suggest around 750gr. Let me know how it goes!! ciao, b
Ariel
December 24, 2019 at 2:08 amCan these be stored in the freezer and if so for how long?
Barbara Lamperti
April 9, 2020 at 6:12 pmYes, the muffins can be baked and stored in the freezer, in an air tight container, for up to 3 months! Ciao, b
Tintin Sealey
February 8, 2020 at 4:03 amHi Ines
Could we freezer this muffin and reheat for future?
Thank you
Tin