Kale and White Beans

Super easy, healthy and great on a budget, Kale and White Beans is one of our family’s favorites! You can splurge and add some sausage or throw an egg on it for extra protein.  If you want to brunch it up – poach the eggs on top! It also works great with a splash of spicy Sriracha or some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

I love how versatile this recipe can be.  Instead of sausage, you can substitute a small amount of bacon or pancetta. Instead of Kale, use swiss chard or spinach.  Essentially, start with the base, use a small amount of meat, white beans (I prefer cannellini) and some type of sauteed greens. 

*Many thanks to my friends Adrian and Christina who introduced me to this one!  I was going through a rough patch at the time and living mostly on some variation of kale. (It occurs to me that I was much trimmer then than now. Hmmm…)

Print Recipe

Kale and White Beans Recipe

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Ingredients

The Base

• 2-4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 Shallot (finely Chopped)
• 1/2 tbsp anchovy paste or 1 anchovy filet (minced) (if using the filet, buy the small anchovies packed in oil)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Italian Sausage removed from casing (optional)

Main Ingredients

• 1 can Cannellini beans – drained and rinsed (You can use other white beans, but these make the dish creamy and hold up to the saute)
• 1 bunch kale (washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces)
• splash red wine vinegar
• 1 fried egg – get farm fresh if possible (optional)
• grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium high heat.  If using sausage, add it to the skillet once the skillet is hot. Brown and Remove from skillet. If you are not using it, just, add the other base ingredients: garlic, shallot, anchovy, crushed red pepper ans smoked paprika. Saute until garlic is fragrant, but take care not to let it brown (it gets bitter). 
• Once the ingredients are, soft add the beans and saute for 2- 3 minutes.
• Splash the beans with red wine vinegar and let cook another minute.
• Add Kale, saute mixture until Kale is bright green and somewhat soft.  Salt ans pepper to taste.
• Plate it up! Enjoy as is, add your egg or Parmesan or spicy Sriracha.  You really can’t go wrong!