Italian White Beans and Greens
with parmesan polenta / bread
This Italian-inspired meal is comforting and classic. Best served in shallow bowls to contain the polenta and sauce, you'll want to get some of each component in every bite.
Smarts: Serving this dish with bread is completely optional, but it's great for scooping and dipping the creamy dish.
Ingredients
- Power greens - 5 oz, chopped (labeled as “power greens” these are usually a mix that includes spinach and kale; sub baby spinach)
- Shallots - 2 cloves, diced
- Beans, cannellini or any white variety (14 oz / 397 g) - 2 cans, drained and rinsed
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Italian seasoning - 2 tsp
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/2 tsp
- Tomatoes, crushed (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can (sub tomato sauce or puree)
- Bread (opt) - for serving (use baguette or an Italian-style like ciabatta)
- Cheese, parmesan - 1 oz, grated, plus more for serving
- Water - 2 cups
- Milk - 1 cup (sub water)
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Polenta - 1/2 cup (use regular polenta; if using instant polenta, adjust according to package directions)
- Butter - 2 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
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Cheese / Greens / Shallots - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
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Combine water, milk, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, keeping a close eye on it because milk can easily spill over. Add polenta while whisking to prevent lumps. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until polenta becomes thick and creamy, 20 to 25 minutes. (Keep an eye on it as it cooks. If the water evaporates too quickly and polenta thickens, add some additional water.)
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Heat a large saute pan or skillet with oil over low-medium heat.
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Add shallots and greens. Saute until greens are wilted and any excess liquid has cooked off, 4 to 6 minutes.
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To greens, add in Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, and beans. Cook until greens are coated in tomato sauce and beans are warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with some salt and pepper.
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Return to polenta and whisk in butter and cheese. Taste and season with some more salt, if needed.
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Toast bread if you'd like it warm.
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Divide polenta between serving bowls. Serve beans and sauce over top and bread on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
Most Helpful
Made pork tenderloin instead of chops and marinated a little under 24 hours. Delicious!! Also used precooked polenta tube for ease of cooking but it probably would have been even better with the real thing! Agree with another user that I didn’t think the tomato sauce would go so well with pork but it did!!
1 Helpful43 reviews
Revisited this multiple times because it’s a favorite of ours! Made it for a dinner party tonight and everyone raved about it! I could only find the premade polenta this time but I just broke it up in a saucepan with some water and butter and got the same consistency needed!
0 Helpfulthis was fantastic and so easy. Made the polenta in the IP and it was great, the rest was super easy and everyone loved it. Thanks for another good one!
0 HelpfulWasn't looking forward to making this meal, but it is on my top 10 list now! Flavors and textures match up great 👍🏻
0 Helpful