White Beans And Greens

Easy Italian Vegan Recipe With White Kidney Beans And Kale

White Beans and Greens: With cannellini beans (white kidney beans) and kale. Simple, easy and delicious Italian bean recipe from The Natural Vegan Kitchen.

Author Christine Waltermyer: "When I was just a wee tyke, my grandfather, Vincenzo Agresta from Calabria, Italy, prepared sautéed beans and greens regularly, much to my delight.

This is my version of beans and greens, dedicated to Grandpa Agresta."

Total Prep & Cook Time: 25 min

Yield: 6 Servings:

Nutrition Data Per Serving: 179 Cal, 2g Fat, 131mg Sodium, 33g Carb, 7g Fiber, 3g Sugars, 11g Protein, Glycemic Load 13, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, good source Vit A, C, K, Iron, Calcium, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Manganese.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minded (2 tsp)
• 3 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups chopped kale
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the water and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook and stir for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and soft.
3. Add the beans and cook and stir for 5 minutes.
4. Add the kale and a splash of additional water, if needed, to keep the beans from sticking to the skillet.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Cover and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the kale has wilted and is tender to your liking.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Savvy Veg Recipe Notes:

I used 2 tsp of oil, and no water for sautéing. The water remaining on the greens after rinsing was the only added water.

I stirred the beans in last, after the kale was limp, covered and set on low heat for 5 minutes until the beans were heated through.

Lacinato (dinosaur) kale or red Russian kale work well in this dish - they're more tender & cook more quickly than curly leaf kale. But any kale is great! I strip off the leaves and discard the stems, for quicker more even cooking. Chard would also be good in this recipe.

I used 1/4 tsp salt, and that was plenty - green veggies are high in sodium.I stirred in 1 Tbsp lemon juice along with the salt & pepper, and served over brown rice with a dollop of homemade vegan yogurt. Delish!

The original recipe had 4 servings, but we found that it served 6 people, including 2 children, nicely. The nutrition data is based on 6 servings.

Another Easy recipe from The Natural Vegan Kitchen: Black Bean Soup