Sun dried tomatoes are a fairly expensive ingredient, but I think this Sun Dried Tomato, Kale, and White Bean Skillet perfectly demonstrates how higher priced ingredients, when properly combined with less expensive ingredients, can still be used to make affordable recipes. This warm and flavorful skillet is a super fast dish that is almost like a warm salad. It’s great served with a piece (or two) of crusty garlic bread, or even a fluffy piece of naan.
But be warned, this recipe is a fiber powerhouse, so if you have a stomach that is sensitive to fiber, you may need to skip this one. 😅
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More Toppings, Please!
There are a lot of fun places you could take this sautéed kale and white bean skillet. I’m trying to cut back on cheese a bit, but if I wasn’t, I’d probably sprinkle a little Parmesan, feta, or even goat cheese into this skillet. MMmmm. If money wasn’t an object, I’d probably sprinkle a few pine nuts on top, too! I wanted my dish to be vegetarian, but if that’s not an issue for you, I would suggest adding bacon or crumbled Italian Sausage!
Can I Substitute the Kale?
If you’re not into kale, you can definitely use spinach, but I’d stir it in right at the end because it wilts quickly.
Is This a Side Dish or Main Dish?
Either one! It’s quite filling on its own, so it makes a great vegetarian main dish. Or, if you serve it in smaller portions, it makes a really hearty side. You can serve this next to something like Baked Ziti, Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Balsamic Chicken and Mushrooms.
Sun Dried Tomato, Kale, and White Bean Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 15oz. cans cannellini beans, drained ($1.38)
- 1/2 7oz. jar sun dried tomatoes in oil ($2.14)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 6 oz. fresh kale, chopped* ($1.60)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the white beans. Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp of the oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes with the apple cider vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Set the dressing aside.
- Add the olive oil and minced garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for one minute, or just until it begins to soften and becomes fragrant.
- Add the chopped kale and 2 Tbsp water to the skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat until the kale has wilted.
- Add the drained beans and chopped sun dried tomatoes to the skillet with the kale. Continue to stir and cook until the beans are heated through. Lastly, drizzle the dressing over the skillet and stir to combine, and add salt to taste. Serve warm.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Sautéed Kale and White Beans – Step by Step Photos
For this recipe, I used half of this 7 oz. jar of sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, including some of the oil. I’ll probably use the rest next week either in a pasta salad or on a pizza. :) Begin by removing half of the tomatoes and roughly chopping them.
Then use 2 Tbsp of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to make a vinaigrette. Combine 2 Tbsp of the oil with 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp salt, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Also rinse and drain two 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and two cloves of minced garlic to a large skillet. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for about one minute, or just until it starts to get soft and fragrant. Add 6 oz. fresh chopped kale and 2 Tbsp water to the skillet, and continue to sauté until the kale is wilted (only about 3-5 minutes). The water helps steam and wilt the kale.
Once the kale has wilted, add the drained white beans and chopped sun dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and continue to cook over medium heat until the beans are heated through (only a few more minutes).
Finally, drizzle the vinaigrette over the skillet, stir to combine, add salt to taste, and serve.
This dish is particularly delicious served with garlic bread or a piece of naan. :)
Fast, easy and delicious. Used liquid from beans instead of water and added pine nuts and Parmesan. Excellent!
This is crazy good especially considering how simple and quick it is. I used 1 bunch of curly kale to make this. Next time i’ll use 1.5 bunches of curly kale to get the perfect bean to kale ratio. I served with fresh olive sourdough and it was brilliant.
This was awesomely delicious. Easy to make and it’s healthy. Thank you
Super delish! I only had one can of white beans on hand so I also used a can of garbanzos.
YUM. Made this a million times. I add tomato paste often. I think you have a dressing recipe that involves it? It makes it even more flavorful!
I made this and it was delicious! I wanted a creamier dish so I added about 1/2 cup water and a smidgen of chicken bouillon. Topped with a lid and let it stew for 5 min. Before eating I garnished it with shredded parm. Easy peasy!
I also added Italian chicken sausage!
Fantastic, simple little dish!!! Made it quick today with some stinging nettles and kale I had and some vinaigrette I already had made at the end. I used oil free/dried sun dried tomatoes I rehydrated, what I had on hand. Absolutely delish!!!
This is a regular for me. Fast, easy, nutrition. Especially to fuel a workout when I don’t want something super heavy. Thank you!!
Definitely a keeper! I subbed one can of beans for two Italian sausages (one mild and one spicy) and it was perfect! We don’t eat as much Kale as we should do this is such a great way to get it in! Thank you!
2nd time making this. Wfpb so skipping the oil and adding a little bean liquid from the can as a sub. It’s so well balanced flavor wise. Thanks for the recipe!
Very easy to make and taste is yummy. Greg R
Besides bread, what sort of side dish could I serve this with? I was thinking brown rice or roasted potato wedges. What do you recommend?
I think both of those ideas sound great! Here are some other ideas from around the site (kind of in that same train of thought):
https://www.budgetbytes.com/fluffy-garlic-herb-mashed-potatoes/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/wild-rice-pilaf/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/potatoes-au-gratin/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/baked-sweet-potatoes/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/baked-barley-mushrooms/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-delicata-squash/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/herby-potato-salad/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/thick-cut-garlic-parmesan-oven-fries/
I hope something stands out! Otherwise, you can filter the recipe catalog for just side dishes. Here’s a direct link: https://www.budgetbytes.com/recipe-catalog/?fwp_by_course=side-dish
~ Marion :)
This is great thank you!
Happy to help! :)
A little bit bland, but a really good concept. I ended up feeling like it needed more depth of flavor, so I added 1/2 of water (divided in half) and a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon’s garlic bouillon paste and stirred until dissolved, which gave it a bit of a creamier texture as well. I also felt like it needed maybe 4 to 6 cloves of garlic that were *just* browned, so we upped the garlic content. It made for a much richer, more satisfying and “wintery” dish. Serve over wild rice. Yum!
This dish looks yummy. Problem noted in recipe & directions: ingredients list ,5 Tbspoon dried basil, while directions refer to .5 Teaspoon of dried basil. Probably won’t make a difference but which is it?
Thanks for catching that! It’s ½ tsp. :)
So so yummy and easy to make! Even people who don’t like kale enjoyed
I made this tonight and it was delicious! The only change I made was to adding extra garlic. We served it over multigrain rice. Great easy vegan meal!
This was delicous! I’m growing purple kale in my garden, so that is what I used :)
Instead of salt I used olive brine, which I highly reccomend!
Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
We have been making this every 1-2 weeks for over year and we love it! It is so quick/easy to make and super flavorful. We use a larger bunch of kale and the whole jar of tomatoes. We like to serve it with millet to make a full meal.
This was amazing an even my better half loved it. He’s a meat eater. So for him to rave about this that uses no meat at all is a win win.
This dish is soooo my kind of food! Made it with some chicken sausage tonight – it was wonderful. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
This was so delicious! The prep work took more time that the actual cooking, but even so, it came together pretty quickly. Also – having some of the leftovers for lunch today, slightly mashed up the beans and served it on toast. Definite winner.
This is so surprisingly delicious and simple. I love adding mushrooms sautéed in some of the sundried tomato oil and garlic. Also I top with shredded Parmesan cheese. It’s wonderful!!!
This was fantastic! I used 8oz of kale, 1 can of chickpeas, and added kalamata olives and some vegan sausage. This is definitely going to become a go-to recipe for me! Thanks so much!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! And so easy to make! The only additions I made was extra garlic, and added some sliced cremini mushrooms and cherry tomatoes right before adding the kale to the skillet. I kept everything else the same as the recipe. Will definitely be making again!
It was delish I swapped water to sauté kale with some white wine. Delish recipe thank you.
This is AMAZING! Seriously. So delicious. Instead of Apple cider vinegar I would actually prefer lemon juice in this! Additionally, I would stir in some sweet potato cubes towards the end. So good. SOOO good.
I’ve eyed this recipe forever and finally tried it. Can not get over how uniquely flavorful it is! I made half of the recipe (2 servings) and proceeded to finish it all at once.
So tasty!!! I swapped spinach and rainbow chard greens for the kale (Aldi didn’t have any kale), and used a can of diced tomatoes instead of the sun-dried tomatoes. It was so good, I can’t imagine the flavor with sun-dried tomatoes! Love this as a healthy alternative to a pasta dinner!
Another fantastic recipe! Had this tonight as a main dish (surprisingly filling) with a slice of bacon crumbled on top and Italian bread on the side. Quick prep, cook, and cleanup! Beth’s recipes never disappoint.
yummmmmmmmm! can this be frozen?
What happens if sundried tomatoes are not available, can I use canned or fresh tomatoes? Does it change the dressing too much?
Yes fresh or canned tomatoes will not be the same as the sun dried tomatoes for this recipe.
This was soooo good I’ve got it on this week’s menu again!! The dressing is what really made it stand out, topped off with some grated Parmesan cheese…Yum!!
This is delicious and filling!! The flavor of this salad is fantastic! Thank you fir this recipe. I’ll be making gbtbis again very soon!!
DELICIOUS!!! Oh wow — SO easy and SO tasty. Also leaves you room to play around and throw in other ingredients (I had a 1/2 an onion I needed to use and thew it in.) Also, a very visually appealing dish. It looked just like it did in the pictures!
1 Tip: If beans sometimes upset your stomach or give you gas like they do me, I found that 1/2 of a can was plenty for the above recipe — not too much, not too little. Thanks Budget Bytes!! :D
Can’t wait to try this! I just ran out of apple cider vinegar though. Any recommendations for what acid I can use as a replacement?
You could use lemon or lime juice.
Just tried out this recipe, subbing lemon juice for the ACV. It turned out delicious! The sundried tomatoes really add such a great flavor. And I love how fast and easy this recipe was! I will definitely be making this again!
This is so delicious! Not vegetarian, but running low on supplies. Googled white beans and kale. Didn’t have garlic, but garlic powder. Will keep on my rotation even when we can find chicken and fish!
How long can this dish keep in the refrigerator? I’m thinking of meal prepping. :)
Hi Mateo! We recommend 3-5 days is best for storing. Anything over that we recommend freezing. Enjoy!
Good recipe and it works! I thank you!
Laslo
I was surprised this recipe has 20 g of fat per serving. Where is it coming from?
The nutrition data provided is calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any ingredient listed as optional. Keep in mind that recipes that involve marinades, breading, salad dressings, oil for frying, or salt for cooking pasta and potatoes may be skewed because some of these ingredients will be discarded and not included in the final edible portion.
Made this tonight.. visually appealing and very yummy!!
I just made this recipe and served with vegan chickpea flour omelette – absolutely delicious! Instead of dried basil I used oregano.
Thank you for your great ideas! As a vegan on a budget I do really appreciate your content!
Keep your amazing work up 💚
Thank you for being here Aleksandra!
Beth I love your recipes! I made this as my first real recipe for No Meat November, and it was sooo good! I swapped the kale for spinach and added a fried egg on top. This is the first time I’ve ever cooked with white beans, and they were kind of gummy in the can (which seemed odd to me) but after a good rinse they cooked up beautifully. 5/5 keep posting vegetarian dishes ❤️
Thank you Josie!
This is one of my favorite recipes to make! I make the beans from dry in my pressure cooker rather than use canned to save a little money and get my preferred flavor and texture. A weeknight time commitment meal I would serve to guests
That’s wonderful Cliff!
Just had this for dinner and loved it! I added some mushrooms in with the garlic at the beginning because I had them in the refrigerator and I love mushrooms with kale. It was very good and I’ll be making it again! Thank you!
So good to use what you have on hand! Thanks Judy!
We LOVED this exactly as written!!! Thank you for an easy quick delicious dinner.
Happy to hear it Lisa!
Super Amazing! We didn’t change a thing and LOVED it!
I used white wine instead of water, and was very happy with this quick and easy one skillet meal.
I couldn’t find your email address, but I wanted to let you know that not only do I LOVE this recipe and have shared it with my family, but I did a Pintesting post on it! Please take a look on my blog to see the results. We make this almost once a week – it’s so good!
Thank you! I appreciate it! ❤️
There was way too much vinegar. My husband and I couldn’t even finish our plates :(
I’m tempted to try this again without the dressing.
This was a great vegan recipe with a lot of flavor and body. Remember to let the beans cook after you add it in with the kale. I let mine cook a little longer than the ones in the photo (until they were open a bit more) – and I found it added a nice fiber texture to the dish.
So delicious! I’ve made this 3x now (both with and without the dressing). An over easy egg on top is a nice compliment too :)
Super tasty and super easy! A++
I’m currently obsessed with this recipe. So much so that I have to refrain from making it again. This is the tastiest, quickest, most basic, easiest vegan meal I’ve made – those are compliments by the way! After the gym, I make this when I’m running out of time and don’t want to succumb to cheat eating because I’m running late. Also, the price can’t be beat! I’ve been making this once a week and I can’t get enough. Thanks Beth!
Quick and easy meal. Really enjoyed it!
This was absolutely delicious. I added some turkey kielbasa to make it a bit more filling but that is going straight into our dinner rotation. YUM!
This recipe wasn’t for us. It might make a nice topping to to a tossed salad. I keep trying to find a recipe to help me like kale.
SO GOOD, and still cheap. I don’t know what I’d do without your site. Thank you!
Made this yesterday and it was AMAZING! Served with garlic naan from Trader Joes. Loved that all the ingredients were things I already had in my pantry. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
How long would you say this keeps in the fridge for?
About 4-5 days. :)
I made this last week and making again! Super easy and quick to whip up, but still packing in tons of flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!
After debating all evening what to make, I saw this and knew instantly what I wanted! I used broccoli, butter beans, and lemon juice instead of the kale, white beans, and vinegar because that’s what I had. I also added cheese and it was delicious! Thank you!
another delicious and easy recipe! i planned ahead and made enough dried beans for multiple recipes. which means this will be easier and cheaper next time…. win win!
Made this for the first time tonight. Delicious! I used chopped frozen kale and it worked fine. Served with garlic naan from Trader Joe’s really brought it to the next level.
Such an easy and fast recipe! The bacon recommendation hit the spot.
I love that you use dried spices for most of your recipes – it makes it so easy to make the meals with pantry items instead of having to run out to buy fresh herbs that I’ll probably only use half of. Love this challenge and your site!
Strong dislike of tomatoes and especially sun dried tomatoes over here. This sound delicious though! Any suggestions for substitutions on the tomatoes? Thanks for all your amazing posts ❤️
I made this tonight for two meat eating men. Both were happy and full….plus had seconds@ I served it with corn bread. Delicious!
This was great – I’m trying to stick with Weight Watchers, so this sort of recipe works really well. I will have to look for more bean + Veg skillets, as they have protein and lots of veggies.
I’m eating this right now and it’s pretty damn amazing! I only made a few minor changes: I used slightly less apple cider vinegar because the smell makes my stomach turn, and I used some extra kale because we got a TON in our recent co-op basket. Easy, quick, not too expensive, and super delicious.
The sun dried tomatoes are so flavorful in this, I loved it! I served it with Pillsbury crescent rolls (which are vegan!) since, apart from that, I only had sprouted sliced bread on hand and I didn’t think that would be as fun.
Ditto what Josh said about recipe placement–it was really striking to see that, compared to every other recipe site.
And thank you for this amazing recipe. I might use a mix of spinach and chard, and this is a perfect meal.
Would you still add water if you were swapping the kale for spinach?
Great point, no, you probably won’t need to. Spinach wilts so fast and easy that you likely won’t need it. Kale needs that extra push from the steam. :)
I’m loving these veggie/vegan recipes too! This sounds really tasty. Sun dried tomatoes are not too expensive in ALDI and they add so much flavour.
I put this on whole wheat toast and it was very tasty.
Sorry I just saw your substitutions! I apologize!
Do you think spinach could be subbed for the kale in this recipe?
This is not related to the food itself, but I just have to tell you how much I appreciate that you put the actual recipe ingredients and directions at the TOP of the page, and not at the bottom like most food sites. It’s infuriating to have to scroll past pages and pages of content when you just want the recipe. So thanks! Also, I love your recipes! :)
Thank you!
Any reason why you used olive oil instead of the sun dried tomato oil to sauté the garlic?
LOL, probably just because I didn’t think about it. :P
I’m enjoying your vegan/vegetarian recipes, Beth! Thanks for this idea.
me too…..trying to vegan for right now.
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