Italian Beans and Greens is an easy and quick meal or side dish that you can throw together with a handful of basic ingredients. Big on flavor, too! They're tangy and sweet, creamy, and deliciously delectable. And they're even tastier the next day!
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If you need a meal on the table fast, with minimal ingredients, this is the one! This Italian Beans and Greens recipe is one of those easy meals you can come back to over and over again. It's great for using up spinach that may be [a little!] past its prime, that you don't want to use for salads anymore, too.
Pair it with whole grain pasta or rice to make it a meal, or serve it alongside chicken or pork as a side. Try it with roasted broccoli and mushrooms!
For something a little different, consider beans and greens for breakfast, with our Beans and Greens Breakfast Hash!
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Heart Health Benefits of Italian Beans and Greens
We keep this recipe light, and full of the good stuff for you!
We start with black beans. Beans are high in phytochemicals, protein, fiber, potassium, zinc, and magnesium, among other nutrients. Consider finding ways to eat them at least once every day - more if you can! This recipe is a great start!
Consuming beans may lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk for metabolic syndrome, ischemic heart disease, and diabetes (1). The compounds in beans may also help lower blood pressure, improve immune function, and reduce overall inflammation (2, 3).
We choose no added salt versions of all our canned goods, when there's an option, so Italian Beans and Greens are low sodium, too! Learn more about cooking low sodium.
Onions and their family members have been used medicinally for centuries to treat a variety of ailments. Today, we know members of this family may be useful specifically against colorectal cancer, high cholesterol, stroke, and high blood pressure (4, 5, 6).
Balsamic vinegar may help to lower triglycerides and total cholesterol (7), but more research will need to be done in this area. It's a delicious way to add flavor to dishes without more salt or sugar!
The spinach adds tons of antioxidants and vitamin K, plus vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, and potassium to our dish, and may help reduce inflammation, lower blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, and might even help with weight loss (8).
Overall, Italian Beans and Greens is low in calories, sodium, and total fat, but high in protein, fiber, potassium, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K.
Ingredients
We're using some simple ingredients here, that you can find most anywhere.
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Black beans
- White balsamic vinegar
- Honey
- Basil
- Oregano
- Spinach
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Let's break down how easy this truly is.
- Peel, halve, and slice the onion.
- Sauté the onion until it is softened, and begins to brown.
- Add the minced garlic, and continue to cook another couple minutes.
- Add the black beans, herbs, water, vinegar, and honey.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add the spinach, cover, and wilt for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir to combine everything together. Serve hot over rice or pasta, with fresh basil cut chiffonade, and/or shredded parmesan cheese.
Hint: if your skillet of beans runs out of liquid during the simmering step, simply add a little more water, ¼ cup at a time.
Substitutions
This is a great recipe for substitutions. Try some of these:
- Beans - use any beans you desire, like chickpeas, cannellini beans, pinto beans, lentils, or black eyed peas
- Greens - try kale, collard greens, beet greens, or another hearty green - or leave them out for a lower vitamin K dish
- Vinegar - if you can't find white balsamic, regular will be fine; it will just affect the color. You could also use apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Vegan - to make this dish vegan, omit the honey, and use an equal amount of pure maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown sugar
Equipment
An easy dish deserves easy prep, and easy clean up! So you'll only need some measuring cups and spoons, a cutting board and knife, and a large skillet with a lid. Love that!
Storage
After cooling, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
This dish is not freezer friendly.
Pro tip
Choose black beans canned with no added salt for the heart healthiest option. If you can't find that, make sure to drain and rinse your beans well. Doing this can remove up to 40% of the sodium!
FAQ
You can use any hearty green you have available to you. Great options are kale, collard greens, chard, beet greens, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, or even bok choy.
Sure are! This is a one pot meal full of protein, fiber, antioxidants, and micronutrients like vitamins A, C, and K! Just be mindful of salt and high sodium ingredient additions, like chicken or vegetable broth, cheese, and sausage.
Related
Looking for more healthy bean recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Italian Beans and Greens:
Reader Review
"I made this a few nights ago for dinner. We loved it! We had it as a main dish and added veggies and a salad. Delicious! A great alternative to a meat meal."
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📖 Recipe
Italian Beans and Greens
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Large Onion, sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 cans No Added Salt Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ cup White Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Honey (or Maple Syrup for a vegan option)
- 1 tablespoon Dried Basil
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 6-10 oz Fresh Spinach
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, and continue to sauté 2 minutes more.
- Add the water, balsamic vinegar, honey, and herbs. Stir to combine well.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and continue to cook until the onions are very soft, and the liquid has reduced by about half and has thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally during this time.
- Add the spinach to the skillet, cover, and allow to wilt; about 3-5 minutes more.
- Stir to combine the black beans and spinach. Serve over cooked rice, quinoa, or whole grain pasta, and top with chiffonade cut fresh basil and/or parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.
Food safety
Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.
- Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
- Make sure all needed utensils and equipment are clean
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Always open the lid of cooking pots away from your face to avoid scalding burns
Donna Robles says
I used basil infused olive oil & a quality balsamic vinegar. I skipped the honey & didn’t sub with any other sweetener. I like my beans in the softer side and I wanted the flavors to come together so I simmered them on low for about 30 minutes after combining the onions with the beans. Turned out fantastic!
Served with basil-garlic chicken casserole & Spanish rice. Super combo with complimenting flavors! The whole meal was great together but the beans were a new recipe for me and I’m going to make them a regular on my dinner menu!
Laura Yautz says
Thanks for trying it Donna! Basil infused olive oil sounds amazing in this dish! I'll have to try that next time I make it! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Paula says
I made this a few nights ago for dinner. We loved it! We had it as a main dish and added veggies and a salad. Delicious! A great alternative to a meat meal.
Laura Yautz says
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for trying it and for your review!