Cheesy polenta creates a pillowed bed for delicious white beans and greens. The greens are nutty and earthy, with garlic and bright lemon, while the velvety polenta holds everything together with a butter and parmesan flavors.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this dish should be readily available at your local grocer. Polenta is often found near the alternative flours, like almond and arrowroot. Bob’s Red Mill is the brand usually available in my neck of the woods.
- Mixed Greens (Escarole, Swiss Chard, Kale)
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Cremini Mushrooms
- Lemon
- Bacon
- Cannellini Beans
- Chicken Broth
- Polenta
- Water
- Butter
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make White Beans and Greens with Cheesy Polenta
White beans and greens with cheesy polenta is a very simple dish that any cook of any skill level will find easy. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be catching compliments from the people you feed in 30 minutes!
The Cheesy Polenta
First, prepare the polenta by adding six cups of water to a large sauce pan with a lid and bringing it to a boil. Alternatively, if you’re feeling a little spicy, try using 4 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken broth. Once the water has come to a boil, add 2 cups of polenta and whisk it continuously for 30 seconds. If you fail to do this, the polenta will clump up. After whisking, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it simmer on a back burner for 30 minutes. The polenta will look fully cooked after 5 minutes, but don’t let its appearance fool you, it takes a full 30 minutes for the texture to become creamy.
The White Beans and Greens
Next, you will make your greens and beans. Open up your can of beans, then strain and rinse them before setting them aside for a later step. Now, prep all your vegetables. Be sure to thoroughly wash and dry your greens before roughly chopping them. Then finely mince your garlic and shallots, and chop your mushrooms.
Now, in a large and deep frying pan over medium heat, cook 3 pieces of bacon. Once the bacon is fried, remove it for later and leave the grease in the pan. You will now add the shallots, and if needed, a dash of olive oil. Sauté the shallots for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and continue sautéing for another couple minutes. Now add in the mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. At this step, add in the greens and a 1/4 cup of chicken broth and the juice of a lemon. The greens will be billowing over the top of your pan, but slowly mix everything together allowing your greens to wilt and significantly reduce in size.
All that’s left now is to add in the beans and the crumbled bacon you made earlier. You’ll keep cooking the dish until the beans are warmed through, By now, the 30 minute timer is just about to ring for your polenta. Pull off the lid, fluff the polenta, and add a half stick of butter. Allow that to melt into the polenta, then add a 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix the polenta, butter, and cheese until it is fully combined. Now, you’re ready too serve.
Serving, Variations, and Storage
To plate this dish, put down a large dollop of the cheesy polenta, then spoon the greens and beans over the top. Serve it hot, allowing guests to salt and pepper their dish to taste. This recipe is strong enough to stand on it’s own, but it would pair well with lemon, garlic, and a basil chicken recipes.
You should store the greens/beans mixture and the polenta separately. Both should be safe in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but you’ll be lucky to have left overs.
White Beans and Greens with Cheesy Polenta
Ingredients
Cheesy Polenta
- 2 Cups Polenta
- 6 Cups Water
- 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese (Shredded or Grated)
- 2-4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
White Beans and Greens
- 1 Can Cannellini Beans (15 oz)
- 2 Heads Escarole (Chopped, Can also use Swiss Chard, Kale, or a Combo)
- 2 Shallots (Finely Chopped)
- 5 Cloves Garlic (Finely Chopped, Measure with your heart)
- 3 Strips Bacon (Crumbled)
- 5 Cremini Mushrooms (Stems Removed and Chopped)
- 1 Lemon (Juiced)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan with lid over medium heat, add 6 cups of water and 1 Tbsp of Salt, then bring to a boil. While waiting for the water boil, prep your greens by thoroughly washing and roughly chopping them. Prep your over vegetables by chopping your shallots, mushrooms, and garlic. Then drain and rinse your white beans.
- In a separate deep large frying pan over medium heat, cook your bacon. Remove, crumble, and reserve the bacon for later. Leave the grease rendered from the bacon in the pan.
- Once the water is boiling. Add the polenta and whisk for 30 seconds. (Failure to whisk will lead to clumpy, not creamy, polenta. Cover the sauce pan of polenta and reduce the heat to low. Cook covered for 30 minutes.
- In the frying pan, add the chopped shallots and allow them to saute for 3 minutes. If there is not enough grease in the pan to sauté, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and allow the pan to sauté for 2 minutes. Now add your mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Next, add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the frying pan, then add your chopped greens. Carefully mix in your greens. The greens will be billowing over the top of your pan, but after a couple minutes, the greens will wilt and fit perfectly in your pan. Add the white beans and continue to cook until the beans are warmed through.
- After the polenta has cooked for 30 minutes, mix in 4 Tbsp of butter and a 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. To serve: Dollop a serving of the polenta in a bowl, then spoon the greens and white beans over the polenta.