Beans and black kale stewed in a pan are a healthy, flavorful vegetarian side or main dish that is easy and quick to prepare. The traditional recipe featuring these two ingredients is the Tuscan ribollita, a rustic and genuine stale bread, bean, and vegetable soup, perfect for the winter season. Today, we propose a slightly different but equally tasty idea that can be enjoyed as a side dish, vegetarian main course, or even as a soup. It all cooks in one pan and is ready in less than 20 minutes! We used cannellini beans, but borlotti beans are also excellent. You can use canned beans, making sure to rinse them thoroughly, or dry beans that need to be soaked overnight and then cooked the next day. We stewed them with vegetable broth and then flavored with lemon zest and juice, a combination that may seem unusual but we assure you it is perfect. Then we add the black kale, which doesn’t need long cooking times, and in about 20 minutes the dish is ready!
The preparation is very simple: we brown an onion with oil and add the beans. We pour in some hot vegetable broth and let it stew for about ten minutes. Add lemon zest and juice, stir, and then the black kale leaves without the central rib. Let it cook until the black kale is tender.
Perfect for accompanying many main dishes, both meat and vegetarian, like oven-baked chicken or vegetarian burgers, it’s also great as a single dish accompanied by slices of homemade bread or homemade focaccia. All that’s left is to try and enjoy beans and black kale piping hot!
Also, discover:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients for Preparing Beans and Black Kale
- 21 oz canned cannellini beans (or 10.5 oz of dry beans)
- 1 bunch black kale
- 1 lemon
- 1 onion
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Tools for Preparing Beans and Black Kale
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Stove
Steps for Preparing Beans and Black Kale
Prepare beans and black kale first, if using dry beans, by soaking them for at least 8-12 hours or overnight in cold water. Boil them in plenty of water until tender. If using canned beans, simply drain them from their preserving liquid.
Peel the onion, slice it, and let it sauté in a pan with a drizzle of oil.
Add the beans, let them flavor by stirring for a few minutes, then pour in some hot broth and let simmer over low heat for about ten minutes. Gradually add the remaining hot broth.
Add the grated zest and juice of the lemon.
Clean the black kale and remove the central rib. Put it in the pan and cook until tender.
Season with salt and pepper and serve beans and black kale.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store beans and black kale in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
You can use the leftover central ribs to make black kale pesto.
