I ended up having to modify this one a bit. It was meant to be made with escarole. But I couldn't find any when I went to the grocery store. So I ended up just getting a bunch of green kale instead and used that as the vegetable component of this recipe. I think it would've been a lot better (and more interesting) with escarole, but I didn't have time to run all over town looking for it, so I just went with what I had.

Halibut with Braised Escarole & White Beans

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 halibut fillets (~1kg total)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 450g escarole, cored and cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 can (~400g) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. (or more) water
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pan with a lid, heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add halibut fillets and sear on one side until golden-brown (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and fry for about a minute.
6. Add as much escarole as will fit in the pan. Continue to add more as the greens in the pan wilt. If the pan seems dry, add a splash of water.
7. Cook until the escarole is slightly wilted.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Add the beans and 1/2 c. of water.
10. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until escarole is very tender (~8 minutes).
11. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
12. Nestle the halibut fillets into the escarole, browned-side-up, cover, and cook until fish is done (~4 more minutes).
13. Serve with lemon wedges.

This was meant to be white beans with red chard, but TF and I don't acutally like chard (silverbeet), so we made it with kale instead. I think black kale would have been best for this, but we received a bunch of green kale in our most recent produce basket, so I justed used that. I don't like the texture quite as well, but it was fine.

This is not an amazing soup overall. But it's not bad. And it gave us some protein and extra fibre and veggies with our meal, which is what I was after. So, it got the job done, just not with a lot of flair.

White Bean Soup with Kale

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• ~400g kale
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 6 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 (470g) cans cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or a mix of Parmesan and romano)

Directions

1. Cut the ribs and stems from the kale leaves. Chop both the leaves and the stems separately. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add onion, kale stems, salt, and pepper.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until softened (10-15 minutes).
5. Add garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or two.
6. Add stock and beans and bring to a boil.
7. Add kale leaves and cook until kale is tender (5-7 minutes).
8. Serve topped with cheese.

I wanted a dish with some nutritional value to go with tonight's not-very-virtuous gnocchi. This recipe allowed me to use up some of the pumpkin we had on hand as well as a bunch of the thyme that we got from my mom. And, since it's mostly composed of vegetables and legumes, it's not even ruinously unhealthy!
That said, I'm not sure I'd be willing to make this recipe again. Not because it wasn't good. Unforunately it's just way too aggravating to make.

Normally, when I cook pumpkin, I cut it in half, roast it, and then scoop the cooked flesh out of the skin. This makes it very easy to handle and use. This recipe, however, takes a different approach. I requires peeling and chopping the pumpkin before cooking. Which is just downright annoying and tedious. But, at least it got us some veg and protein.

Pumpkin with Cannellini Beans, Caramelized Onions, and Roasted Garlic

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 heads (bulbs) garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 cans (~470g each) cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 Sugar Pie pumpkin (~500g), peeled and cubed
• 1 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (preferably fresh)
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Wrap garlic in foil and roast at 190°C (375°F) until soft (50-60 minutes).
3. Squeeze garlic from skin and set aside (discarding skins).
4. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and cook until softened.
6. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking until dark and very soft (20-30 minutes).
7. Add beans, pumpkin, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
8. Cover and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 1 hour.
9. Meanwhile, toss breadcrumbs with Parmesan and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
10. Once pumpkin is tender, remove lid and sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.
11. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned on top (10-15 minutes).

I needed a vegetable side dish to go with dinner a while ago. This recipe for braised kale fit the bill nicely. Although I ended up using a mix of kale, spinach, and fenugreek leaves for the greens and swapped out the ham called for in the original recipe for some smoked tofu. I also adjusted the seasoning slightly to give it a slightly more Indian vibe since we were going to be serving it with curry and rice. I think this all worked quite well. Not so well that I'd call this dish a "favourite", but it did the job of making sure we had enough veggies on our plate and tasted nice: mission accomplished!

Braised Greens with White Beans and Smoked Tofu

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g greens of your choice¹ (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 125g smoked tofu, diced
• 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt²
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 (470g) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp. dabeli masala

Directions

1. If using fresh greens, remove and particularly tough ribs and discard. Tear or chop the greens into ~5cm pieces and set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the tofu and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the greens and cook until just wilted/thawed.
6. Add the broth, salt, and pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
7. Add beans and dabeli masala and increase heat to medium-high.
8. Cook, stirring often, until beans are heated through (~3 minutes).
9. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

---

¹ I used a mix of spinach and kale with a little bit of fenugreek mixed in. The original recipe just called for two bunches of kale. Swiss chard and/or mustard greens would probably also work well in this dish. Use whatever appeals to you the most. Back
² I used 1/2 tsp. of salt because I was using homemade chicken stock with very little salt in it. You may find you need less salt if using store-bought stock. The beans may also affect the overall saltiness of the dish since many canned beans have salt added to them during processing. ^Back

I picked up some pressed cottage cheese/twaróg in my last produce basket. I figure it's high protein, low fat, and packs a decent amount of calcium, so why not?

This recipe didn't specifically call for pressed cottage cheese, but I figured either would probably be fine. I upped the water a little bit when I made it to compensate for the drier cheese. I don't think I needed to though. There was plenty of liquid and I actually ended up having to bake my casserole for a bit longer than called for to get it to set up properly. And, despite my liquid difficulties, I do quite like how it came out! The texture of the pressed cheese is fantastic. I would definitely use it again.

I was a little shy on tomato sauce. The original recipe called for 4 cups, which is about 945mL. I had a 796mL tin of tomatoes and just used that as the base for my sauce. This worked fine, but I think it would've been nice with a bit more sauce. That said, I'd hate to open two tins for it. I think next time I might try to use an 828mL tin of tomatoes + a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Hopefully that will give good flavour with minimum effort or complication.

Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake

Adapted from A Mind "Full" Mom

Ingredients

• 250g dry short pasta (rotini, radiatori, cavitapi, etc.)
• 1 (540mL) tin cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 2 c. frozen chopped kale
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella (add a little Parmesan if you like)
• 500g pressed cottage cheese (twaróg), crumbled
• 800-950mL tomato sauce¹
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• ~1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") baking pan.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the pasta, cooking 2-3 minutes less than package instructs.
3. Reserve 1/2 c. of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
4. Return the pasta to the empty pot and add the drained beans, kale, and both kinds of cheese.
5. Mix well, then add th tomato sauce, eggs, reserved pasta water, and basil.
6. Pour everything into the prepared pan. (Top with up to 1 c. of additional cheese if you would like it extra-cheesey.)
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.

---

¹ I usually make my own tomato sauce from either whole or diced tinned tomatoes. I just did a very quick, no-cook sauce for this: 800mL tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. chopped dried garlic, 1 tsp. chopped dried onion, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 1/2 tsp. dasida. (Basically just raiding the spice cabinet and tossing in whatever smelled good.) As noted, next time I'd add a Tbsp. or two of tomato paste, but this worked fine for my purposes. ^Back

A nice one-pot meal, this was especially a hit with Alex. I've written up the recipe as described, although we made it with lamb sausages rather than pork.

Sausage with White Beans and Kale

Cook's Country, October/November 2020, by Sara Mayer (p.27)

Ingredients

• 2×440mL tins of cannellini beans, rinsed
• 830mL tin diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
• 240mL broth
• 30mL olive oil
• 450g italian sausages, pricked
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 450g kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• ⅛ tsp salt (double if using unsalted broth)

Directions

1. Combine 120mL beans, 120mL tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, and broth in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
3. Add sausages and cook until browned on both sides. Remove and buffer.
4. Add onion and cook until softened.
5. Add garlic and cool until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
6. Stir in bean-tomato mix, remaining tomatoes, and kale. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted, ~15 minutes.
7. Stir in remaining beans and browned sausages. Cover again and cook until sauce thickens and sausages are cooked through.

Just a quick write-up because today sucks and I'm not feeling great.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Kale, and Cannellini Beans

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2016

Ingredients

• 250g fettuccini
• 300g frozen kale
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 450g chicken sausage (or store-bought)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 (540mL) tin cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. (Add a little salt to the water too if you like.)
2. Cook pasta until al dente. Add kale for last minute or two of cooking. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes.
5. Add garlic and pepper and cook for another minute or so.
6. Add cannellini beans with their liquid.
7. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
8. Add 1/2 c. of the cheese, lemon juice, and bean mixture to the drained pasta and kale and stir to combine.
9. Serve topped with remaining cheese.

Fagioli all'Uccelletto (Tuscan Baked Beans)

We were in a bind for dinner last night and I had to throw something together last minute. We had some sun-dried tomato and mushroom risotto mix that I'd gotten at the farmers' market a few weeks ago, so that gave us a starting point for the meal, but it definitely wasn't going to be enough on its own. Originally I had been contemplating making some meat-stuffed Moroccan flatbreads, but that still left us short on veggies. I consulted Cooking from an Italian Garden for ideas on how to round out the meal. In the end I opted to make this white bean dish along with a saucy green bean dish to add some protein and vegetables to our risotto dinner. It worked out pretty well! Although I would be tempted to add more tomatoes next time.

Fagioli all'Uccelletto

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/2 c. dried white beans¹
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3-4 fresh sage leaves (or ~1 tsp. dried sage)
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2-3/4 c. diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Mix the flour into 1L of water and add the beans. Soak for 8-12 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the beans.
3. Place the beans in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover them and pressure cook for 20 minutes.
4. Allow a 15-minute natural release and then drain the beans (reserving the cooking water for soup if desired).
5. Heat the oil over medium heat.
6. Add the garlic, sage, pepper, and salt and cook for ~1 minute.
7. Add the beans and cook for ~5 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.²

---

¹ I used navy beans because that's what I had on hand, but cannellini beans (white kidney beans) would probably be the best choice here. ^Back
2 I reversed the order of these last two steps. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes in practice, but I'll probably try it the other way around next time to find out. ^Back

I picked up a bunch of cookbooks in a Humble Bundle a while back. I'm not really used to using digital/PDF cookbooks, so it's taken me a while to get around to using them. But I was in a cookbook browsing mood the other day, so I decided to crack one open and take a look.

This recipe is from the Vegetable of the Day Cookbook. It's organized like a calendar with one recipe for each day of the year.

I'm not really interested in trying to cook each recipe on the day it's assigned to in the book. But I do appreciate the collection of varied and somewhat seasonal vegetable recipes.

I thought about trying to start with a November recipe (for maximum seasonality) or trying to find something that looked like it would match thematically with the rest of the dinner. But, in the end, what I really felt like, was just starting at the beginning of the book and working my way though. So that's what I ended up doing!

The January 1^st recipe was for "spicy sautéed kale and chickpeas". I didn't have any tinned chickpeas on hand though and I didn't feel like cooking dried ones from scratch, so I decided to use cannellini beans instead. The creaminess of the beans actually worked quite well with the kale and chili flakes, so I think I will just default to using them for this dish from now on. I'm sure the chickpeas would also be good, but I think I prefer the cannellini beans here.

Spicy Sautéed Kale and Beans

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 450g black kale, coarsely shredded
• 1 (540mL) can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/8-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Warm garlic and oil over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until softened (~7 minutes).
2. Add ~1/2 of the kale to the pan, cover, and cook for ~2 minutes.
3. Add remaining kale and toss to coat with oil.
4. Cover and cook until tender (~15 minutes).
5. Uncover and stir in beans, pepper flakes, and salt.
6. Increase heat to medium and cook until the beans are heated through (~5 minutes).

Tasty, easy, one-pan meal. A little light on veggies, maybe, but nothing that an extra vegetable-heavy side dish wouldn't fix.

White Bean and Sausage Skillet

Slightly adapted from The Modern Proper

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large sausages¹ (~350g total)
• 4 c. cooked cannellini beans²
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 4-6 c. chopped fresh or frozen kale
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat.
2. Cook sausages until nicely browned on the outside and fully cooked.
3. Remove sausages from pan, slice, and set aside.
4. Add beans, 1 c. of stock, garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt.
5. Cover and simmer for ~5 minutes.
6. Mash a few of the beans. (You can do this right in the pan if you're using cast iron.)
7. Add the sliced sausages and kale, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add more stock as necessary to achieve/maintain desired consistency.
8. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and Parmesan.
9. Top with additional Parmesan and pepper flakes (if desired) and serve.

---

¹ The original recipe called for smoked sausage. I swapped it out for what I had on hand and changed the cooking procedure accordingly. ^Back
2 I cooked mine in the InstantPot with some garlic, olive oil, white pepper, sage, onion, and a bay leaf. I didn't add any salt to the beans during cooking. If you salt your beans or use tinned beans (which usually have salt added), I would recommend omitting the salt called for later in this recipe. ^Back

This one-pot recipe turned out pretty nice, and the Kidlet liked it as well! The beans add a bit of welcome heft to the recipe; we used gigantes plaki, but I think cannelini beans or butter beans would also work nice.

As written the recipe does not call for greens, but symbol thinks mixing in some kale or spinach towards the end would be nice, and I agree.

Smoky Tomato & Haloumi Bake

Happy Veggie Kitchen

Ingredients

• Olive oil
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• ¼-½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika, or 1 tsp sweet paprika + 1-2 drops liquid smoke
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• ¼ C vegetable stock
• 28oz (800g) tinned diced tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale or spinach, chopped
  
• 14oz (400g) white beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1lb (450g) haloumi, sliced into thin strips
• fresh parsley or  cilantro to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 390°F.
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic and chili flakes and sautee until fragrant and starting to brown, ~1 minute.
4. Add the paprika and oregano and cook until fragrant, <30 seconds.
5. Add the vinegar, sugar, vegetable stock, and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
   
6. Add the white beans and greens and stir together. Remove from heat.
7. Arrange the haloumi in a uniform layer atop the sauce, then bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8. If you want the haloumi browned, stick is under the broiler for a bit.
9. Garnish and serve.

Cabbage-Lentil Minestrone with Cheese Tortellini

After a couple days we were down to half a pot of soup again, so I decided to make a few more modifications to turn it into yet another new soup. This time I wanted to take it in more of a minestrone direction. More veggies, some extra tomato paste, and a package of cheese tortellini did the trick quite nicely. I really like this version! And I've really enjoyed seeing how many times I can keep building on and adding to the original lentil-cabbage soup as well.

Cabbage-Lentil Minestrone

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe of Smoky Chickpea, Cabbage, and Lentil Soup
• 1-2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 c. cooked kidney or cannellini beans
• Parmesan rind
• 1 (400g) package cheese tortellini
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 2-3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. water (optional)
• 1-2 small zucchinis (courgettes), chopped
• 450g green beans, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• salt and pepper to taste¹

Directions

1. Add broth, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf, kidney/cannellini beans, and Parmesan rind to soup, cover, and bring to a simmer.
2. In a separate pot, cook tortellini until al dente, drain, and rinse/shock with cold water.
3. Add tortellini to soup.
4. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
5. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add carrot and celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.
8. Add zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes.
9. If necessary, deglaze pan with water.
10. Add green beans, cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
11. Add vegetable mixture to soup.
12. Add chile flakes, salt, and pepper and mix well.
13. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

---

¹ I was using home-made broth with almost no salt in it, so I added ~1/2 tsp. of coarse sea salt to my soup. You may need more or less depending on your taste and the broth you use. ^Back

This is actually two Cook's Country recipes combined -- "garlicky white beans with sage" and "white bean dip". (They're combined in the magazine too; you use the output from the former as one of the ingredients for the latter.) The result is a thick, delicious spread good on crackers and bread.

The recipe calls for the use of a food processor, but we used a blender with a "food chop" setting and it worked just fine with the addition of a bit of water (which the recipe warns you may need anyways).

Cannellini Dip

Cook's Country, April/May 2020 p.15

Ingredients

• 4+6 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 3½ C cooked cannellini beans
• ¼ tsp table salt
• 5 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Heat 4 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and cook until it just starts to brown, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add sage and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds.
4. Add beans and salt and cook, stirring often, until heated through, ~2 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Combine beans, water, lemon juice, and remaining oil in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, ~2 minutes, scraping down sides and, if necessary, adding extra water 1 tablespoon at a time.
6. Sprinkle with parsley, drizzle with additional olive oil to taste, and serve.

As written the recipe uses white rice. This version swaps it out for brown rice and adjusts the liquid quantity and cooking time accordingly, but makes no other changes (apart from increasing the garlic).

It's quite tasty topped with cheddar.h

Tomato Herb Rice with White Beans and Spinach

Adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ¼ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ tsp dried rosemary
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• black pepper
• ¼ C tomato paste
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 C fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2 C cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ lb frozen chopped spinach
• 1 C uncooked long grain brown rice
• 2 C vegetable broth

Directions

1. In a dutch oven, combine the olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Sautée over medium-low heat until fragrant, ~1 minute.
2. Add tomato paste and brown sugar and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add onion and cook for a few minutes more, until it starts to turn translucent.
4. Add tomatoes, beans, spinach, rice, and broth. Stir to combine.
5. Cover pot and raise heat to medium high until it reaches a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is fully cooked.
7. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes; serve.

I was going back through some old issues of Cook's Illustrated and found this interesting-looking dish in the pasta "special edition" from 2015. I liked that it was vegetarian and also a bit more balanced than many of the pasta dishes I'm familiar with. The beans add a little protein and the kale and tomatoes add a vegetable component. It's still pretty starch-heavy to be sure, but it's definitely moving in the right direction.

Pasta with Hearty Greens and Beans

From Cook's Illustrated January/February 2015

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, 3 minced, 5 sliced
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 700g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-3cm pieces
• 1 (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 c. vegetable broth
• 2 c. cooked cannellini (white kidney) beans
• 3/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 450g whole wheat spaghetti
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil and sliced garlic over medium heat.
2. Cook until garlic turns golden. Do not brown!
3. Remove garlic and set aside.
4. Add onion to the remaining oil in the pan and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~5 minutes).
5. Add minced garlic and pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so.
6. Add half the kale and cook until it starts to wilt.
7. Add tomatoes, broth, and 1/2 tsp. salt along with the remaining kale.
8. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, tossing occasionally for ~15 minutes.
9. Stir in beans and olives.
10. Meanwhile, bring ~4L of water to a boil.
11. Add pasta and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. salt and cok, stirring often until molto al dente (slightly less done than al dente).
12. Reserve 1/2 c. of the cooking water.
13. Drain pasta and return to pot.
14. Add kale mixture and cook over medium heat, tossing to combine until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
15. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.
16. Adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking water as desired.
17. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
18. Serve with garlic chips and extra Parmesan.