Cannelli Bean and Chard Ragu
Cannellini beans are large and have a kidney bean shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a thinner skin and tender, creamy, almost buttery flesh. They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and stews. I just love them!
One of my favorite ways to eat these little beauties is quite simply, drained out of the can, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, some dried herbs (rosemary is awesome!), sea salt and cracked pepper. That’s it! YUM!
Another great thing is that just one cup of these beans has nearly 18g protein, a good dose of folate, magnesium, iron and nearly 15g of fiber. All of that with only 220 calories and less than 1g of fat! Nice!
If you are hankerin for something hearty and healthy, this ragu is the way to go. And it only takes about 10 minutes!
Cannelli Bean and Chard Ragu:
- 1 can Canelli Beans (buy the best quality you can afford – I like the ones that come from Italy)
- 1 small can tomato juice (250 mls)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch chard, washed and rough chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
- sea salt and cracked black pepper
On medium heat, warm saute pan, add olive oil and garlic. Add in chopped chard and stir to coat in olive oil and garlic. Like making a risotto, pour in the tomato juice a bit at a time (about a quarter each time) and wait for it to be absorbed by the chard. Continue adding until chard has softened and juice is gone. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Add in beans just to heat through and serve! Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.
YUM!
This was dinner for me.
I like this as is, but you could also add in some canned tuna or top with grilled fish if you like.
You do such a great job with your description of yumminess, I’m making this TONIGHT and have forwarded the link to a few friends! Just love your recipes chockful of mmmmmmmm, mmmmm goodness…
18grams of protein, wow!! i love cbeans, thanks for sharing, great recipe!1
sweetlife