The Easiest of Recipes
“Charles placed seven eggs on top of the warming oven and built his fire carefully of small pieces of kindling until it burned fiercely. He put the skillet down next to the flame. His sullenness left him as he fried the bacon.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
This is barely a recipe. It started, as many things do, with items from the pantry. There was the push to get dinner done and fresh kale that needed to be used. The first time I stirred together just garlic, kale and beans. It needed more and I added the red pepper flakes along with the garlic. Later lemon zest and a sprinkle of cheese made this into a recipe. It has become a favorite. Fresh, quick, full of healthy ingredients, an easy recipe like this deserves to be shared.
Kale is bossy, stern and stiff and not about to bend to anyone’s will. With these types, its best to be assertive. Garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and a strong cheese like Parmesan are happy to transform the kale into a memorable recipe. Slide an egg on top and call it dinner or a very good lunch. We very much enjoy the Garlicky Kale and Beans with grilled chicken or pork chops. Even our weekly turkey patty benefits from this side dish.
Essentials
I’m fussy about how kale is prepared. I don’t like huge crunchy leaves that require a knife to wrestle into bite size pieces and I will refuse a pile of soggy wilted greens. I was shopping at a local upscale grocery store and it was getting close to lunch time. I saw a display of Mediterranean Kale Salad. It looked promising until I saw huge curly kale leaves, still crisp, shoved down inside clear plastic cups. I wasn’t sure how to eat out of the cup with a plastic fork. It looked like a serving of punishment for lunch. A terrible salad, with a price that matched.
The combination of Lacinato kale, cannelloni beans and garlic has roots in Tuscany. Think minestrone and ribollita or this classic recipe. Moderate the volume of flavor by reducing the garlic and red pepper flakes. With very strong insistence, omit the cheese. The recipe is flexible enough to understand the desire of personal preference. Just remember the intense personality of kale needs its assertive friends. Lacinato or Dinosaur kale is my favorite but any variety can be used. Don’t cook the kale for too long, it will become limp and lose its bold character. When you add the beans to the skillet, the kale will have the time to soften just a bit more. Have all the ingredients ready, this recipe goes together quickly!
| Ingredients | |
| 1 bunch | lacinato or dinosaur kale |
| 2T | olive oil |
| 3 large | cloves of garlic, fined minced |
| 1/4t | red pepper flakes |
| 1 can/15 oz | cannelloni or garbanzo beans, drained |
| 1 | lemon, zested |
| 1T | grated Parmesan cheese or Romano or Feta |
- Throughly rinse the kale and pat dry. Just dry enough that only a few drops of water fall unto the cutting surface. Remove the center ribs from the large leaves. Stack the leaves in bundles and cut into strips, 1/2” wide.
- In a large skillet or other wide bottomed pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat until it shimmers. Add the minced garlic and the red pepper flakes. Stir for a minute or two until the aroma of the garlic and pepper is released. Do not let the garlic overcook and become brown. Add the kale to the pan and let it cook and sizzle for a minute. Then stir and fold all the ingredients together. Keep stirring until the garlic and red pepper flakes are intermingled with the kale. The kale will begin to wilt. Make sure all the kale is coated with the garlicky olive oil. Do not overcook the kale. As soon as all the kale is shiny with olive oil add the beans and lemon zest to the pan. Fold the beans and lemon zest into the kale. Cook only until the beans are heated. Serve with a sprinkle of assertively flavored cheese. That’s it, done!
Sorry my comment is a little late ;( but, I love this kind of kale and it grows really well in my veggie garden! Thanks for your recipe and I will be eating this with egg on top as I love that too 😉
Oh Patty, thank you for stopping by and commenting! This recipe is a family favorite.
What a great mix of flavors! White beans with the kale sounds great, and I’d to make a meal of this with an egg on top.
A egg on top makes a wonderful meal! Thank you Lisa!
you had me at kale 🙂
Thank you Caralyn! Kale can be a good thing!
Simple ingredients make such wonderful dishes. This is perfect, healthy fare Deb! It’s extremely hard to find kale here, but this should work well with chard or sorrel. I love your salad description. I feel the same about store bought granola!
Thank you Paula! Beth of OMG!Yummy made the recipe with chard and loved it. I hope you give it a try!
What a healthy salad – packed with fiber and nutrition!
Thank you Julia! It’s a family favorite.
Dino kale is my favorite so I’m loving this dish! I have some of this kale growing in my garden right now so I can’t wait for it to be big enough to make this. Garlic and kale – what a great combo!
Thank you MJ! We just planted kale and chard too. I can hardly wait for the harvest!
A perfectly delicious blend, this salad. I am a big fan of kale, especially in smoothies or with loads of garlic. I have not found it to be ‘bossy’, however. 🙂
I happy you have found your kale nirvana Jacquee! I like my kale a bit tamed and not in big crisp pieces.
Dinosaur kale is my favorite and this is such a lovely blend of flavors. Love how you cut it — I too don’t like eating kale when it feels like a chore. 😉
I agree Valentina, dinosaur kale is my favorite too. Thank you!
“the intense personality of kale needs its assertive friends” — I love this quote! Thanks for sharing this simple dish, Deb.
Happy you enjoyed the post Viviane, thank you!
A serving of “punishment” for lunch – somebody was feisty when she wrote this post. That’s my kind of description – I love it. I also adore nearly non-recipe recipes. Love your twist of adding the beans. I could easily see using leftover hearty grains as well, esp finishing it with an egg. YUM! Thanks for sharing and inspiring – loved seeing Carol’s version of it on Facebook!
LOL! Kale is healthy, but needs a good recipe to be tasty too! Thank you for commenting Beth!
Deb, I must become better friends with kale. Truth told, it’s not a vegetable I’m readily drawn to. Perhaps because I was forced to eat it when I was little, likely prepared in very boring and uninteresting ways. Your recipe sounds like the perfect way to get re-acquainted with kale.
Thank you speaking the kale truth Mary! I don’t always enjoy kale either. I’m fussy about it’s preparation which is why you just might enjoy this recipe!
You are so right, Debs. Kale is very bossy! And like you I am picky about how I eat this bossy veg – it has to be sliced into ribbons and massaged a bit, wilted a little or fried a bit in its rinsing water and a touch of oil. Beans, heat, garlic and kale are matches made in veggie heaven. 🙂
Thank you Kellie! This recipe is in regular rotation at our house.
Lovely recipe, Deb! This dish is quick to prepare yet delicious and quite nutritious.
Thank you for the gracious comment Denise!
Kale is not so popular here and I can’t buy it, but I do like chard or spinach in spring. Sounds like a winning combination Deb!
Thank you Cathy! I agree, spinach would would work well in this recipe.
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this Deb , I will make it soon. I love the addition of the beans. Another creative and artistic post.
Thank you Gerlinde! Your support brightens my day.
I am a huge fan of bossy kale. And this recipe is right up my alley.
Yes to kale fans! Thank you for commenting Lynda!
Garlic is a must with kale and I love your addition of cannelloni beans. What a flavorful side!
I agree Laura, kale is so much better with garlic. Thank you for commenting!
Kale salad is a staple at my house, and this twist — warm salad! — is genius. Can’t wait to make it. Another great post, Deb!
Thank you so much Carol! I appreciate your support.