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Mariel here. Calling all lazy boys and loafers: the following recipe is easy, crazy easy. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s foolproof.
Fresh, vibrant and deliciously simple, this Mediterranean dish doesn’t need a heavy, complex dressing since it incorporates a variety of flavors that are quite bold individually. In my opinion, a complicated dressing would just be overkill, so I suggest seasoning this “salad” with a light touch.
Serve this as a picnic side dish or as a healthy lunch over a bed of fresh arugula. I used butter beans in my rendition – and their naturally creamy texture lent an almost gnocchi-like quality to this low-carb meal, especially when eaten straight from the stove-top – but feel free to sub in any mild white bean including gigantes or cannellinis. To further chip away at the price tag, swap the prosciutto for turkey bacon and the sundried tomatoes for the sweet vine-ripe variety (the tomatoes in NYC are not so hot right now).
This recipe saves beautifully for up to a week in the refrigerator and it can be dished up hot, cold or at room temperature. It’s about as effortless as they come.
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White Beans with Fresh Basil, Prosciutto and Sundried Tomatoes
Makes 8 side dish-sized servings
Ingredients:
2 15-oz cans of butter beans, gigantes or cannellini beans – $2.78
1/4 lb prosciutto (don’t get it sliced paper-thin), chopped – $3.89
1 TBS olive oil – stock
1 cup sweet onion, diced – $0.99
1 cup fresh basil chopped – $1.99
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped – $4.49
1/4 cup parmesan (I prefer parmesan reggiano, so I stock up at Costco) – $4.69
Dressing:
1/2 tsp minced garlic – stock
2 tsp olive oil – stock
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar – stock
Dash of salt and pepper – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $18.83
Cost per serving: $2.35
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute onion over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
3. Add the prosciutto and continue cooking over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
4. Add the beans, basil, tomatoes and cook over med-high heat for an additional minute.
5. Reduce heat to low and toss the bean/prosciutto/tomatoes with the dressing. Heat for an additional minute. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve warm alone or over arugula.
What a great recipe here! I usually make some kind of cannelli bean salad once a week, great protein source. This one looks fabulous and so colorful. This one is def one I will be making!
Thank you ladies.
OMG – this sounds delicious. It may make its way over to mom’s on Sunday for our picnic! Thanks so much!
oh good! you’ll have to let us know how it turns out
Thanks Mariel ,for the delicious recipe for my favorite beans. Regards to your mom. Agnes Aliberto
No swaps here! Proscuitto and sun dried tomatoes sound like the way to go. This is perfect for summer.