Greens and Beans
This healthy mix of Greens and Beans is served with a savory white wine sauce, a squeeze of fresh lemon, Parmesan cheese, crispy bacon, and freshly cracked pepper! It’s a classic side dish that pairs well with nearly anything!
Be sure to serve this with a side of my crusty No Knead Bread to help sop up that delicious sauce!
Greens and Beans
There’s something so satisfying about a side of protein-packed beans with a hearty mix of greens. The garlicky, brothy, well-seasoned sauce has a combination of flavors that are well rounded and complete, it’s truly hard to put your fork down!
It’s easy to transform this into a meal instead of a side dish as well, especially if you add some chicken or sausage to the mix, which is easily done.
I also have a great collection of proteins that pair perfectly with this, be sure to check that out below, along with my PRO tips, don’t miss those!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook the bacon and set aside. Chop once cooled. Deglaze the skillet with white wine and reduce by half.
Add bacon drippings and onions. Soften, then add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add seasonings and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add white beans and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add kale, cover, and let wilt.
Add spinach, cover, and let wilt. Stir to combine. Top with freshly squeezed lemon, grated Parmesan cheese, and chopped bacon. Serve with freshly cracked pepper and extra lemon wedges.
Pro Tips
- Bacon: The bacon and white wine are optional and are used to develop layers of flavor in this dish. The bacon also adds a pop of color and crunchy texture on top. Pancetta is another great choice.
- Other Proteins: Sausage or chicken can be used instead of bacon to make this a main course!
- Wine: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc are perfect wine choices in this dish. Chicken broth can be used to deglaze the skillet if you don’t cook with wine.
- Beans: I use Cannellini (White Kidney Beans) for this recipe, but you can use a variety of different kinds of white beans, including White Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans.
- All kale or all spinach can be used in this recipe instead of a combination of both. Note that spinach wilts a little more quickly and won’t reheat quite as well as kale, especially if frozen.
- This is a great side dish to serve with Pan Fried Chicken or Pork Chops!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Kale in particular holds up well when frozen.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Large/Wide Skillet– Similar to the one pictured in this recipe.
- Garlic Twister– Fresh garlic in this recipe is better than jarred.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
What to Serve with Beans and Greens
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Greens and Beans
Ingredients
- 5 strips bacon, drippings reserved. See notes.
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 cans cannellini beans. (Each can =15.5 oz.) , Drained. See notes.
- 4 packed cups kale, roughly chopped
- 3 packed cups spinach
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Seasonings
- ¾ teaspoon EACH: parsley, basil, oregano, onion powder, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: seasoned salt, pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
For Serving
- Freshly Cracked Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over low heat. While the bacon cooks, measure out remaining ingredients. Once cooked, set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Chop once cooled and reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings. (Butter can be used instead of drippings if needed)
- Add the wine to the skillet over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bacon remnants from the bottom of the skillet. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
- Add the bacon drippings and onions to the skillet and soften for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the seasonings and chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the beans and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Optional: Mash some of the beans into the broth to thicken the sauce.
- Add the kale and cover the skillet. Cook until it begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach. Cover and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until wilted.
- Reduce heat to low and squeeze 2 wedges of fresh lemon over the dish. Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped bacon.
- Remove from heat and top with freshly cracked pepper. Serve with remaining lemon wedges.
Notes
- Bacon: The bacon and white wine are optional and are used to develop layers of flavor in this dish. The bacon also adds a pop of color and crunchy texture on top. Pancetta is another great choice.
- Other Proteins: Sausage or chicken can be used instead of bacon to make this a main course!
- Wine: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc are perfect wine choices in this dish. Chicken broth can be used to deglaze the skillet if you don’t cook with wine.
- Beans: I use Cannellini (White Kidney Beans) for this recipe, but you can use a variety of different kinds of white beans, including White Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans.
- All kale or all spinach can be used in this recipe instead of a combination of both. Note that spinach wilts a little more quickly and won't reheat quite as well as kale, especially if frozen.
- This is a great side dish to serve with Pan Fried Chicken or Pork Chops!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Kale in particular holds up well when frozen.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
Wonderful recipe
I’m so happy that you loved it Holly!!! Thank you so much, I realllyyy love this recipe too!!
This recipe is gold! Affordable, ingredients I have on hand, and delicious! Even my 10 and 13 year olds ate it. I made a double batch, we ate with crusty bread (a must!) for the first night and sausage for the second night. This will be part of our regular meatless and meat rotations!
I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it Jessica! This has been my go to side for cookouts this summer. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💗
We had this with a side of grilled chicken sausage. The kale took a little longer to cook. Mashed some of the cannellini beans thickened the sauce.The squeeze of lemon at the end enhanced the flavors. The sauce was delicious. Will definitely make again.
Hiiii! I am so happy that you enjoyed this recipe- I LOVE that you added grilled chicken sausage, sausage of any kind is my favorite addition to this. And I agree about mashing the beans and adding that lemon!! 🙂 The lemon definitely enhances the other flavors at the end and makes them POP! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! -Stephanie
I will be trying that chicken piccolo. IT looks so delicious.
Thank you! That sounds like the perfect match, enjoy!😃
My husband and I loved this recipe and we will be eating it regularly now that Summer is here and our garden greens are flourishing! I did add chicken so we could eat it as a meal but that doesn’t mean we bypassed the bacon! It adds so much flavor! We used Pinot Grigio as you suggested and a mixture of Kale and Spinach. There are absolutely delicious flavors in this simple dish. It’s definitely a keeper for us. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Carmen! I love when the garden is spitting out fresh veggies. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖