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. :)
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.