cannelini bean salad with sundried tomatoes, basil, and garlic breadcrumbs

cannelini bean salad with sundried tomatoes, basil, and garlic breadcrumbs

bean salad: two not-so-beautiful words serving as your gentle reminder that food, dinner, nourishment, whatever, does not have to be complicated. this is a very unfussy dish that tastes like you’ve been whisked away to a terrace on the italian coast during golden hour, basking in a warm sunset with a chilled glass of wine, except that it’ll take you 15 minutes from cupboard to stove to couch (table, stool, over the sink, etc etc) to get there. daydreams optional but encouraged.

you need a few pantry staples, a little brightness from lemon and basil, and a dusting of garlic breadcrumbs to really make you fall in love. unfussy, but perfect.

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cannelini bean salad with sundried tomatoes, basil, and garlic breadcrumbs
makes: 4 servings
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes

2 15oz cans of cannelini or great white beans, drained and rinsed
1 shallot, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1c sundried tomatoes
1/2c green olives (I like castelvetrano loves for this!)
juice and zest from 1 lemon
1c fresh basil, sliced
1tbsp olive oil
1 1/2tsp salt
1tsp black pepper

for the garlic breadcrumbs:
1/2c panko breadcrumbs
1tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp dried basil

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. add the shallot and garlic, and saute for a couple minutes or until fragrant. then add the beans, sundried tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. saute for another 5-7 minutes until everything is warmed through.

mix the garlic breadcrumbs, and set aside.

stir in the olives, basil, and lemon zest, and top with (*as much as you’d like!!) the breadcrumbs. you can have this warm, cold, straight out of the pan, however you’d like. you make the rules here.