Braised White Beans and Greens With Parmesan

By Lidey Heuck

Updated Oct. 21, 2024

Braised White Beans and Greens With Parmesan
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(17,629)
Comments
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Inspired by the Italian dish of sautéed puntarelle (an Italian variety of chicory) and white beans, this recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian main course or a hearty side dish for roast chicken or sausages. It opts for canned white beans, for the sake of weeknight convenience, and Swiss chard, which is much milder than puntarelle and easier to find in the U.S. Kale or escarole would also work well, if that’s what you’ve got. On that note, grated Pecorino Romano cheese gives the broth a more pungent element, but Parmesan will work in its place. Serve in shallow bowls with toasted country bread to mop up the garlicky broth.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¼cup olive oil
  • 1small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and small-diced
  • 1small yellow onion, small-diced
  • 2teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or thyme
  • 5garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
  • 1large or 2 small bunches escarole, kale or Swiss chard, stems removed (10 to 12 ounces)
  • 2(15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 2cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½cup shredded mozzarella (optional)
  • 3tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
  • Toasted country bread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

617 calories; 25 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1529 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the fennel, onion and rosemary, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Begin adding handfuls of the greens, cooking and stirring until leaves wilt.

  3. Step 3

    Add the white beans, broth and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer, mashing some of the beans with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has reduced and thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, then the mozzarella, if using, and Pecorino Romano. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Divide among shallow bowls and top with more Pecorino Romano. Serve with toasted bread and a dish of red-pepper flakes on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
17,629 user ratings
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Comments

dee

Discarding those stalks from the chard is such a miss. Think of chard as two vegetables in one - the stalk and the leaf. Cut them out {fold the leaf in half lengthwise and cut along the length of stalk to free the stalk from the leaf} and dice the stalks, then add to the onions and fennel to sauté.

Josh

Gosh. This is about the most delicious bean dish I've made. No: it's the most delicious using canned beans. Living alone I need a few ways to use up leftovers so here are my plans: 1) add more stock and turn into soup, 2) drain some in a sieve overnight in fridge and smash into a ciabatta bun for lunch, 3) reheat and serve with a poached egg and baguette toast points.

Sarah

Celery or leeks are a good sub for fennel and given the way this recipe is made I'd go with leeks for a more mild flavor profile. Celery is better as a substitute for raw fennel.

N S

How is it possible for such a simple dish to taste so darn good?? I make this all the time. Sometimes I will dice and fry up a couple of kielbasas (I find Wardynski’s brand is the best, Buffalo’s own, you can get it at Wegman’s) and throw them in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Delish.

Katie

Really not good. I made it with kale. I also used a bit of miso instead of chicken broth to make it vegetarian. There was something about the texture of the kale with the texture of the beans together that just did not go well. Also next time I will make it without garlic. I couldn’t taste the fennel at all over the garlic and rosemary. I managed to eat the leftovers over the course of the week by smothering it in red hot, chili crisp, etc but I hade to psych myself up for it because it really was not good.

Tom

We loved it! Great hearty dinner for a meatless Lent. Just a few modifications: I doubled the recipe using the on-page calculator, and the extra vegetable stock made it more of a soup. That actually worked very well, because I also substituted butter beans, and I mashed them basically the whole time it was simmering. Combined with all the cheese, it turned out very creamy. And like many of you, I added halved cherry tomatoes when I took it off the heat.

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