Description
Serving beans on toast makes them a meal! This simple, sophisticated recipe pairs white beans with garlic, broccoli rabe, and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups dried great Northern beans (may substitute navy, cannellini, or other white
- beans), soaked overnight and drained*
- Water
- 1 onion, peeled and studded with 12 whole cloves
- 2 large carrots
- 1 (3 by 5-inch) strip kombu (dried seaweed)
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, cut into 1-inch pieces (or substitute 3 to 4 cups broccolini or broccoli florets or roughly chopped Tuscan kale)
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 thick slices rustic sourdough bread, lightly toasted
- 1 tablespoon chile oil (optional)
- 1/4 cup vegan or traditional Parmesan, grated or shaved
Instructions
- Make sure to soak your beans overnight (or at least 4 hours), covered in room temperature water.
- Combine the beans in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add the onion, carrots, kombu, and bay leaves, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring the beans to a boil. Let then boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat so the beans are at a bare simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, you can cook the beans, water, and aromatic vegetables in a stovetop or electric pressure cooker: Bring to high pressure and cook for 17 minutes if using a stovetop model or 20 minutes for electric. Let the pressure release naturally, then open.)
- Discard the onion, carrots, kombu, and bay leaves and strain the beans, reserving all of the cooking liquid.
- In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Stir in the broccoli rabe and sauté until very tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the drained beans, 1 1/2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid, and the salt. Cook just until the beans are hot and the flavors have melded, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the pepper, taste, and add more salt if needed. (Here we added about 3/4 teaspoon extra salt until the flavor popped.)
- Divide the toast among shallow serving bowls. Drizzle with the chile oil, if desired, and spoon the bean mixture and broth on top of the toast (use the broth as a sauce to flavor the toast). Finish with the Parm and serve hot.
Notes
*This recipe is best when made with dried beans. But if you’d like to use canned, use 3 cans Great Northern or other white beans, with can liquid reserved and start with Step 3. In Step 4, use the can liquid topped off with water to make the 1 1/2 cups “reserved cooking liquid.”
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
- Diet: Vegetarian
