Creamy cannelini beans 2 ways: with kale or with cherry tomatoes

 

Last week in the supermarket I saw that tins of my favourite bean brand (annalisa) were 2 for $2.  That was exciting because they have got so expensive over the past months.  But I was pretty sad that there were no cannelini beans left by the time we got there.  I have two favourite creamy cannelini bean meals of late and am sharing both the recipes here.  One is filled with greens and is vegan while the other has a tomato sauce and a crispy grilled cheese topping.  What I liked about both was that they used the starchiness of the beans to make a comforting creamy consistency.

 

In the Creamy Cannellini Beans with Kale a tin of the beans are blended with tahini and kale to make a super creamy sauce.  In fact mine needed a lot of extra water because it was so creamy.  It was the best of both worlds because the stew had plenty of texture with another two tins of beans and lots of kale added to the sauce.  Mine got really thick so I needed to add a lot more liquid to thin it.  

Although I forgot to add fresh herbs on top, I stirred in quite a few sundried tomatoes for colour and to cut through the richness of the sauce.  It was excellent with some fresh bread.  I took a tub of leftover beans to work with bread and also ate it like a dip with crackers.  This was excellent comfort food but filled with healthy ingredients and great flavours.

A few months ago in August I made a creamy tomato gnocchi.  It was really good but I wanted less carbs and more protein.  I decided to try it with beans instead of gnocchi.  It looks far more like your traditional home made baked beans than the previous bean dish but still seemed quite different.  The beans were simmered in a tomato sauce but not that much liquid so some of the beans broke down and contributed to the creaminess.

One of my favourite things about a pasta bake is the crisp cheesy topping.  I loved that this dish still have the great golden melted cheese on top.  It was quickly done under the grill.  I really love my cast iron frypan which moves so easily from the stovetop to under the grill (also known as broiler).  I am unsure that I would put most of my ovenware under the grill as I am not confident how it would stand up to the intense heat but the cast iron just laps it up.  Literally.  It gets so hot!

I served my beans with some hoop pasta, celery and asparagus.  Sylvia preferred hers with much more pasta but really loved it too.  It would also be great with quinoa or rice or other grains, especially if you are after a gluten free meal.

These comforting creamy bean dishes are great for a chilly winter night.  But with lots of spring vegies they work well too.  It is only halfway through spring and we had a 30 C day this week.  It is too soon to be dealing with such hot days so I look forward to a few more snuggly bean meals before summer really turns up the temperature! 

More cannelini bean recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe blog:

Bean, barley and tomato stew (v)
One pot pasta with beans and tomato sauce (v)
Pea, mint and bean dip (gf)
Quick baked beans (gf, v)
Smoky apple baked beans (gf, v)

Creamy cannellini beans with kale 
Adapted from Creamy cannellini bean with kale
Serves 6-8

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• 3 x 400 g tins of cannellini beans, divided
• 1 1/2 cup soy milk, divided
• zest of quarter to half a lemon
• 1/4 tsp stock powder
• Seasoning
• 2 1/2 tbsp white miso
• 2 tbsp tahini
• good squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• Half bunch of kale (I used curly kale)
• Fresh parsley and sun dried tomatoes, to serve (optional)

Fry onion in oil until soft and translucent (but not browned).  Stir in garlic and thyme for a minute.  Then add 2 x drained tins of beans, three quarters of a cup of milk, stock powder, a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper.  Simmer over a low heat.

While the mixture simmers, place remaining 1 x drained tin of beans, the remaining three quarters of milk, miso, tahini, lemon juice and nutritional yeast flakes in the blender.  Puree to a smooth mixture.

Add bean puree to the simmering beans and stir over low heat until blended.  Add more water if it thickens too much (I often use some water to wash out the blender and used it to thin the bean mixture.  It was useful because I had to add quite a bit of water.)

Wash, destem and chop the kale and add to the bean mixture.  Simmer for about 5 minutes until kale wilted.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Serve topped with sun dried tomatoes and parsley.  (I suggest serving alongside bread or passta.)

Cheesy creamy tomato cannelini beans
Adapted from By the Forkful
Serves 4

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 200g cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 x 400g tins of cannelini beans (about 3 cups)
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) water, or more
• 2 tbsp tomato paste 
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs 
  
• 1 dessertspoon cream cheese
• Grated cheese (I used a mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan mixture)
  
• 2 tsp stock powder
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or thyme, for garnish

Fry onion in oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened.  Stir in tomatoes and garlic for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.  Add drained beans,water, tomato paste and herbs.  Stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.  I found I had to add a bit more water as it thickened a bit much.  

Stir in cream cheese.  If you have an ovenproof frypan, sprinkle cheese over the beans (or move to a shallow ovenproof dish.  NB I used a cast iron frypan which is great for putting under the grill.)  Melt cheese under the grill until golden brown (up to 5 minutes).  Serve hot.

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