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
Servings 4Ingredients
- 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.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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. :)
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!!