Bean

White Bean & Kale on Toast with Herbes de Provence

February  7, 2019
4.4
9 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Makes 2 toasts
Author Notes

This easy toast-for-dinner recipe is one of those magical dishes where you turn basic staple ingredients—white beans, kale, sourdough, lemon—into a delicious, comforting meal that can be enjoyed no matter the season. —Amelia Rampe

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is featured in the article An Ultra-Satisfying Vegetarian Dinner That's on the Table in 30 Minutes, sponsored by The Spice Hunter. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided (plus more for serving)
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 medium shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 pinch kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon The Spice Hunter Herbes de Provence
  • 2 tablespoons white wine
  • 1 (15-ounce) can white beans (such as cannellini beans or Great Northern) drained and rinsed
  • Lemon zest from 1/4 lemon
  • 2 slices of sourdough bread, 1 1/2-inch thick
  • 1 cup tightly packed lacinato kale, chopped into bite-size strips
  • 2 lemon wedges, for serving
  • 2 pinches flaky salt, for serving
Directions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the shallots are very soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add The Spice Hunter herbes de Provence and cook until the aromatics are released, about 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium, add the wine, and cook until wine is mostly evaporated, about 3 tp 4 minutes.
  2. Add beans and lemon zest and toss to coat. Add 1/2 cup of water, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until beans are tender and liquid has thickened into a creamy sauce (not completely reduced), about 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat 1 cup of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add sliced sourdough and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove bread from the oil and reserve bread on a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt.
  4. Transfer 3/4 of the bean mixture to a small bowl and mash with a fork until mixture is creamy and slightly lumpy. Add the kale to saucepan with the remaining beans, then return the mashed beans to the saucepan and stir until the kale has wilted. Season with salt to taste. Divide mixture onto the reserved bread. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

12 Reviews

annie_f June 10, 2020
I fried the bread according to the instructions and it was delicious!!!
helen December 1, 2019
I make this recipe about twice a month. It’s both our comfort food and the meal we turn to when we’ve indulged too much, like after thanksgiving. I often make it exactly as written, sometimes I go vegan and swap olive oil for butter, sometimes I add chicken broth for extra flavor. I have thrown in red peppers, tomatoes and sometimes sweet paprika. I only made the toast once and it wasn’t worth the amount of oil used. Mostly I have it with whole grain buttered toast and/ or a side of tonno tuna in olive oil...with a couple of olives. I love these beans.
Audrey L. March 14, 2019
Loved it!!!!! The squeeze of lemon makes it❤️
Amelia R. March 16, 2019
So happy you loved it!! Thank you for making it!
Agne S. February 12, 2019
I also skipped 1 cup of oil, and instead toasted bread on butter. My family loved this combination. I only had fresh lemon thyme, dried oregano and dried rosemary but it all worked perfect. Definitely adding this to my recipes collection.
Carly V. February 11, 2019
The frying step of the bread almost put us off but I am a huge butter bean fan. We didn't fry the bread in the olive oil and just toasted it gently and added a little bit of butter on top instead. It's pretty delicious, but could probably do with more of the dried herbs. Definitely an any time of the day recipe.
PatrickM February 7, 2019
The thought of deep frying bread in olive oil scared me, so I served the mixture atop wild rice. Tasted good.
Amelia R. February 8, 2019
Great riff! :)
Nancy M. February 7, 2019
I cup of olive oil for 2 pieces of bread? Wouldn't this be too much?
Mimi February 7, 2019
I had to read the recipe three times to make sure I read the 1 cup of oil correctly. Seems like they are deep frying the bread.
Amelia R. February 8, 2019
Hi! Great question. We are pan frying very thick slices bread in a medium sized skillet that will absorb some oil . If you have leftover oil, you can always fry more bread and/or strain the oil and use it to fry something else. Happy cooking! :)
Amelia R. February 8, 2019
Yes we are pan frying the bread. It's so tasty!