Let’s just say this dish has it all: it’s easy to make, inexpensive, and packed with nutrients. It’s always nice to have a budget-friendly supper on hand in your recipe book. Easy Vegetarian Greens and Beans is a satisfying and hearty traditional Italian dish made with only a few basic ingredients. Because it’s so wonderful and full of garlic taste (where are our garlic lovers? ), you’ll find yourself making it again and again. This dish is a terrific make-ahead choice because the taste increases with time. A generous spoonful of fresh parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil complete the meal.
Ingredients
We’ve previously mentioned how simple this recipe is to make because it only calls for four main ingredients: greens, beans, garlic, and broth! That’s what we call a win-win!
- Escarole is traditionally used in the Italian version of this dish. We changed it up a little by adding some lovely endive from the market. You can use escarole or any hearty green like kale, dandelion, chard, or collard greens in place of the endive. Make sure to rinse all of the dirt out of your greens, regardless of which variety you pick.
- We used canned cannellini beans instead of dry since we wanted to make this a quick and easy meal. If you prefer dried beans, prepare them ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator until ready to use to save time during dinner preparation.
- Garlic… What can we say? It’s one of our favorites, and it gives this meal such a rich flavor.
- The final main ingredient in the recipe is the vegetable broth. We make our own broth out of bits of leftover vegetables, freeze it, and use it as when needed in recipes. On the other hand, a store-bought organic broth works just as well in this recipe.
Olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper are some of the additional ingredients you’ll need. Let’s get started creating this variation of the famous Italian Easy Greens and Beans dish, shall we?
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How to Make Easy Vegetarian Greens And Beans -Step By Step
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, covered. Boil the cleaned and chopped greens until tender, about 8-10 minutes, with the cover off. Drain and set aside a quarter cup of the cooking water.
- Add the olive oil to the same pot where the greens were cooked and heat on medium. Sauté the garlic for a few minutes. Take care not to burn it; it should be golden in color. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
- After that, add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot along with the vegetable broth. Pour in the reserved cooking water as well. Reduce to low heat and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes—season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook for another 5 minutes after adding the greens to the saucepan with the beans.
- Remove the Greens and Beans from the heat. Place them on a serving dish, with a generous sprinkling of fresh parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil; for those that like more heat, add additional pepper flakes before serving.
Set the table, get a loaf of crusty bread (to soak up all of that deliciously flavored juice), and sit back and enjoy!.
If you make this recipe for Easy Vegetarian Greens and Beans, be sure to let us know! We’d love to hear from you! Tag us in your photos on Instagram. And stay connected to all things Heart Healthy Greek by following us on Facebook and Pinterest and by subscribing to our mailing list!
Easy Vegetarian Greens and Beans
Ingredients
- 2 heads endive (kale, escarole, collard, chard) Washed, rinsed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans
- 1½ cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup water reserved from cooking greens
- parmesan cheese freshly grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Add the endive to the boiling water and cook it uncovered, pressing the endive down as it wilts. Boil for 8-10 minutes or until tender, then drain, saving 1/4 cup of the water.
- In the same pot, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, taking care not to burn it. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
- Add the drained and rinsed beans along with the vegetable broth, and reserved water from the greens. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir the drained endive into the bean mixture; cook and stir for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the Greens and Beans from the stovetop and place them on a platter. Add a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil just before serving. To soak up all the flavorful juice, serve with a piece of crusty bread. Enjoy!
