Italian Beans and Greens

This Italian beans and greens recipe is made with garden fresh Swiss chard greens and cannellini beans. Perfect as an appetizer with crusty Italian bread or a side dish.

Beans and greens are a dish we've ordered as an appetizer at many Italian restaurants. Often it is served with sliced baguette bread. The first time I had it, I could not believe the flavor. It tasted so good I could have eaten it for my entire meal.

One thing I didn't know, bean and greens or greens and beans, is actually a Pittsburgh thing. I came upon this recently in an article on Bon Appétit, where they talk about this dish having Southern Italian origins. Since many immigrants came to the Steel City from Italy, it's no wonder they brought the deliciousness of beans and greens with them.

I saw this huge bunch of red Swiss chard in the market at a local farm. It was so big and beautiful, I had to buy it and make some beans and greens. This time we ate it as a side dish with salmon.

Making Beans and Greens

After washing the leaves, you can easily remove the stems by folding them in half lengthwise and slicing down the stem.

Toss the stems in the compost or save them to make vegetable stock.

The leaves can then be roughly chopped and sautéed in a large pan.

As you might imagine, there are many ways to make this dish. Using beans from a can is probably sacrilege for some Italians, but in my opinion, they work just fine. You can use different kinds of greens, different beans, and different add-ins like pepper flakes and cheese. 

They all work really well. However, when you are able to buy lovely, freshly picked greens from the farm, the choice is a no-brainer.

Beans and Greens

This beans and greens recipe is made with garden fresh swiss chard and cannellini beans. Makes a great side dish or appetizer.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Recipes

Cuisine Side Dish

Servings 6

Calories 82 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Large bunch of Swiss Chard Greens
• 2 large cloves fresh garlic sliced thin
• 1 can cannellini beans drained (15.5 ounces)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• pinch salt and black pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

 

• Wash and dry the greens.
• Remove the stems by folding in half and cutting along the stem. Roughly chop and set aside
• In a large frying pan on medium heat, saute the olive oil and add garlic slices.
• Saute for 1-2 minutes. Stirring so that the garlic does not burn. Remove garlic from the pan.
• Add greens to the oil and saute until slightly wilted, 1-2 minutes.
• Add beans, stock, sherry, and pepper flakes.
• Stir well and simmer on medium-low heat until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Toss the garlic back in if desired.
• Serve as a side dish or with thinly sliced baguette rounds for an appetizer.

Notes

This can also be made with other leafy greens such as kale, broccoli rabe, baby spinach, or escarole. Substitute great northern beans for cannellini beans, too. Instead of sherry vinegar, use red wine or red wine vinegar. It's all good.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 0.5gProtein: 0.1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 40mgPotassium: 5mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 21IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.1mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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