Cannellini beans, garlic, lemon and bitter broccoli rabe together are seriously heaven to me. I grew up eating a lot of escarole and beans, but I have a hard time finding escarole around here, so I decided to substitute broccoli rabe. It worked wonderfully. This is a great side dish or a main course, sometimes I sauté a little spicy or sweet sausage to add to it as well.
Ingredients
- 2 packages of baby broccoli or broccoli rabe, about a pound
- 1- 15.5 oz. can of Cannellini Beans
- 4-6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- ½ cup chicken or veggie stock
- ¼ – ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- half of a lemon zest
- 2 anchovies
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Rinse and chop broccoli into pieces. Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli ( 1-2 minutes of broccoli in boiling water then place it in a ice bath). Drain it and let it dry off and set aside.
- Slice garlic, shallots and chop anchovies. Take beans and drain half of the fluid in the can. Heat pan, add olive oil, garlic, shallots, anchovies and cook till fragrant 2-3 minutes (don’t burn). Add broccoli and mix together. Give it a minute or two and add beans and seasoning and mix.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, add stock and simmer for a few more minutes. Taste for seasoning, then add lemon zest and toss. Finally garnish with Parmesan cheese.
- Serve with crusty bread!
- *PRO TIP* the next day, leftovers will make into a tasty pizza! Add cold toppings with a little extra olive oil and cheese and seasoning to a pizza crust a bake. Use it to stuff a calzone or even make it into a sandwich with a little salted meat and provolone. You won’t be disappointed.