Lemony Beans and Greens
This cozy bean recipe is bright with lemon, savory with herbs, and loaded with vegetables. Serve it on its own, spooned over toast, or topped with a poached egg.
A Quick Note on Beans
There’s a time and place for both dried and canned beans. Canned is convenient, but dried beans are worth the extra (mostly passive) effort. They have a firmer, meatier texture and soak up the flavors of whatever you cook them with. Because they’re not sitting in salty liquid, you also get more control over the seasoning, making it easier to get the flavor just right.
To prepare dried beans:
Soak them in water for 8–12 hours. (This reduces cook time and makes texture more consistent.)
Forgot to soak? Bring them to a boil, remove from heat, and let them sit for 1 hour before cooking.
Cook time is usually around an hour, but most of that is hands-off.
Lemony Greens & Beans Recipe
Ingredients:
10 oz. dried beans, soaked overnight with a teaspoon of salt. You can use white beans, chickpeas, or whatever you have.
Superfood Blend, one large handful
6-9 cups chicken or vegetable stock
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 lemon (zest + juice)
1/4 cup white wine
A few sprigs of thyme and oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
Parmesan cheese for garnish. Save the rind to use when cooking!
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
To prepare beans, cover with water (there should be a few inches of water above the beans), add a teaspoon of salt, and leave to sit overnight.
The following day:
Heat a large pot on medium. Add 1/4 cup EVOO then add your onion, carrots, and celery.
After about 2 minutes, add in the chopped garlic and continue sweating your veggies for about 5 minutes. You want the onions to turn translucent and the carrots and celery to just start cooking, but not turn brown.
Deglaze by pouring in your white wine. Turn stove to low and cook the alcohol off by letting it simmer and reduce for 4–5 minutes.
Strain soaked beans and add them to a pot with 6-9 cups stock, parmesan rind, and herbs.
Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for an hour or more. Add more stock as needed to keep the beans covered and fully cook them.
Once finished, remove the parmesan rind (it’s okay if it melted into the beans), add in zest and juice of lemon, and wilt your greens by stirring them in with the hot beans. Feel free to roughly chop the greens before adding them.
Serve in a bowl. Use a peeler or grater to garnish with extra parmesan.
Serving alongside a protein will make this a complete meal but either way, soaking up the liquid with a big chunk of crusty bread feels like a non-negotiable!
Area 2 Farms for Locals
Your food should be equally accessible and nutritious. Which is where we come in. At Area 2 Farms, we grow fresh organic produce within 10 miles of you.
