Mashed Cannellini Beans

Don't run away! I promise that even after sharing this picture (I, for one, cannot photograph brown at all well but it's better than having no picture...right?), this is a really good, really easy side dish.  I love that it takes about 10 minutes to make and adds some protein and fiber to a meal.  I've already used this recipe 3 times in the past few weeks to help round out a meal - sometimes it's when I'm serving less protein and others when we need a healthier side dish.

It's a really simple list of ingredients -- cooked white beans, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, chicken broth and lemon juice.  All pantry kind of ingredients and there's very little chopping needed.  It's also very forgiving timewise -- it says to simmer for 10-15 minutes but I'm pretty sure I've gone a lot longer than that while waiting for the rest of the meal to cook (I just added small amounts of water occasionally to make sure the dish doesn't dry out). 


Mashed Cannellini Beans
Taken from: Elly Says Opa
Serves 2-4

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can or 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used canario and feel free to try other white beans)
• 2 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary or 1/2 tsp. dried
• 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and then add the oil until shimmering.  Saute the garlic in the oil until fragrant and lightly browned, and then stir in the cannelini beans and rosemary.
2. Add broth to the skillet and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Stir in the lemon juice off the heat and mash the beans with a potato masher.