Saucy White Beans & Fennel with Pesto
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- medium fennel bulbs 2
- extra virgin olive oil 2 ½ tbsp
- organic cane sugar ½ tsp
- Kosher
- garlic cloves 6
- tomato paste ¼ cup
- dried oregano 1 ½ tsp
- red pepper flakes for spicy 1 tsp
- Freshly
- dry white wine 0.33 cup
- best-quality crushed tomatoes 1
- sprigs of fresh thyme 6-10
- of fresh sage or fresh rosemary 1 sprig
- cannellini beans 3
- extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
- medium red bell pepper 1
- small lemon 1
- flat-leaf parsley leaves & tender stems 1 ½ cup
- Kosher
- Basil Pesto 3-4 tbsp
- For serving: Crusty bread to serve 4
Tomatoey Fennel Base
This recipe uses some of the liquid from the canned beans since it helps thicken the sauce. This is simply the liquid the beans were cooked in, but if you don't want to use it, you can drain all the beans and simmer the dish for a bit longer to thicken the mixture. If you cooked beans from scratch, add 1/2-1 cup of bean cooking liquid in step 4. Add more cooking liquid as needed. (Or see the above note if you forgot to save the cooking liquid.) To elevate your bread, toast it first, then while it's still warm, rub a halved garlic clove across the surface. Optionally, add a pat of vegan butter or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Storage: Store leftover saucy white beans in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, separate from the pesto. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warm, adding a splash of broth or water if needed. Top with pesto and optional fennel fronds right before serving with toasted bread. Storage: Got more leftovers? The Saucy White Beans & Fennel is freezer-friendly! Store in single-serve portions and defrost in the fridge. For quicker defrosting, I recommend these Souper Cubes. Nutrition boost: Add some chopped baby spinach during the last 2 minutes of cooking the beans in step 4. Or, instead of serving with crusty bread, serve over roasted veggies (such as cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, or eggplant). For added protein, sprinkle with hemp seeds before serving. Shortcut: Use store-bought pesto if you bought it. Shortcut: Skip cooking the bell pepper in step 3. Shortcut: Skip the lemon zest in step 5(a).
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1Prepare: medium fennel bulbs , extra virgin olive oil , organic cane sugar , Kosher salt, garlic cloves , tomato paste , dried oregano , red pepper flakes for spicy , Freshly cracked black pepper, dry white wine , best-quality crushed tomatoes , sprigs of fresh thyme , of fresh sage or fresh rosemary .
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2Cut off the stalks from the fennel. Store any feathery fronds in a paper towel-lined container or ziploc bag; refrigerate to use as garnish in this week’s meals.
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3With the fennel bulbs, remove any thick outer layers (or shave with a peeler) and discard. Slice the bulb(s) in half lengthwise (through the root ends), then thinly slice crosswise (into half moons). Use a mandoline to speed this up.
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4Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sliced fennel, and season with the sugar and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is soft and starting to brown around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. While the fennel cooks, finely chop the garlic. Add to a small bowl with the tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes, and several cracks of black pepper.
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5To the fennel, add the garlic-tomato paste mixture. Stir vigorously to incorporate the tomato paste and cook until darker red in color, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, lowering the heat if needed to prevent burning.
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6Pour in the white wine, if using, and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Simmer rapidly until the smell of alcohol cooks off, 3 to 4 minutes. If not using wine, add a splash of water to deglaze the pan.
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7Pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine, and nestle in the herb sprigs. Season with 1 tsp of kosher salt. Simmer uncovered until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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8Remove any whole herb sprigs and discard. Taste, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Label and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
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9For the saucy white beans & fennel, divided: 2 1/4 cup Tomatoey Fennel Base (from meal prep), cannellini beans , extra virgin olive oil , medium red bell pepper , small lemon , flat-leaf parsley leaves & tender stems , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, Basil Pesto , 1 handful of fennel fronds (optional) (from Tomatoey Fennel Base prep), For serving: Crusty bread to serve .
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10Take the Tomatoey Fennel Base and Basil Pesto out of the fridge.
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11Drain and rinse 1 can of beans, but don’t drain the other 2 can.
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12Heat a Dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat with a touch of olive oil. Once warm, add the bell pepper and cook until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Tomatoey Fennel Base and cook until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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13Pour in the 3 can of cannellini beans, including the liquid from 2 can, and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until thickened and saucy, stirring occasionally. If it gets too thick, add a splash of water (or vegetable broth).
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14While the beans cook, prepare your side salad (if you’re making one) and prepare the other ingredients. Zest and juice the lemon. Chop the parsley. If using, chop the fennel fronds. Toast your bread according to your preferred method (e.g., toaster, oven, pan-fry in olive oil, etc.).
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15Off the heat, stir a glug of olive oil ( timer 1/2 tbsp) into the beans. Add the lemon zest, 1-2 tsp of lemon juice, parsley, and 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Taste, adding more lemon juice or salt/pepper as needed.
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16Scoop out 2 cup of the Saucy White Beans & Fennel to use in the Spinach Artichoke Soup. Transfer to an airtight container and label “for Soup.” Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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17To serve: Divide the remaining saucy beans among bowls. Spoon a bit of Basil Pesto in each bowl and top with fennel fronds, if using. Scoop up with toasted bread and serve with your side salad, if you made one.