These kale beans are the epitome of what I call “ugly delicious,” and yes, I know that phrase was coined by Dave Chang and his Hulu show, but I think it just makes so much sense. This might not be the prettiest bean recipe, but it’s quick to whip up (you’ll just get a lot of use out of your blender!), incredibly comforting, and packed with vegetables, protein and healthy fats. It’s a great weeknight meal, it’s a great weekend meal, and it’s one of my favorite go-to comfort meals.
And hey, if you swirl the tonnato on top, it might be “pretty delicious.”
Table of contents
What is tonnato?
Tonnato is an Italian condiment often made with tuna, anchovies, lemon juice, olive oil, and either egg yolks and olive oil (to emulsify) or mayonnaise, if you are looking for a short cut! In a traditional tonnato recipe, the ratio of mayo and lemon juice is high, creating a really smooth, rich sauce.
I’ve made a riff on tonnato before, but in this recipe it’s the real-deal. Drippy, salty, lemon-y, and perfectly spoonable onto your kale basil beans. It might not seem like the obvious match for this recipe, but it comes out gooooood.
What are the ingredients for this tonnato?
For this tonnato on your kale basil beans, you’ll need:
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1 5 oz. can of tuna in olive oil
- 6 anchovy filets
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup torn parsley & dill
- A few cracks of black pepper
How to make a tonnato sauce for the kale basil beans
Making my version of tonnato is all about timing, but it’s really around a 5 minute process! Just begin by soaking the cashews in hot water. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Drain the cashews, then add to a small blender with 1/3 cup cold water. Blend until smooth.
Add the tuna, anchovies, 2 garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, herbs, black pepper and zest from 1/2 of the lemon into a food processor. Pour in the cashew cream (don’t wash out the blender), and purée until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water if you need to thin it out. Set aside.
Ingredients for the kale basil sauce
- 1 large lemon
- 4 cups kale leaves, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt as needed
- Olive oil as needed
How to bring this kale basil beans recipe together
Blanching might seem like an extra step, but it really keeps these beans vibrant and makes it worth it! Here’s what I suggest when making the kale basil beans:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with a large pinch of salt. Set a large bowl of ice water next to it. Plunge the kale and basil into the boiling water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Use tongs to remove the kale and immediately put it in the ice bath. Empty the water from the pot.
- Squeeze out any excess moisture from the kale and basil and add it into the blender you used for the cashew cream. (We are using leftover cashew cream here to make it thicker, no waste!) Add the juice from the lemon, a liberal amount of salt, and 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
- In the pot that you used to boil the kale, add a glug of olive oil and put it on medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant and golden. Pour in the kale sauce and stir. Pour in the beans, and simmer softly for 1-2 minutes. Season as needed.
- To serve, scoop a big helping of beans into each bowl. Add a large swirl of tonnato on top (you’ll have some tonnato leftover, but that should be a good thing!) and eat with crusty bread. Serve warm!
Looking for similar recipes?
These are a few of my most recent favorite meals!
Creamy Orzo, Butter Beans & Greens
Fennel Salad with Tempeh & Walnut Dressing
Harissa-Simmered Artichokes on Toast
And that’s it for these kale basil beans!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cashews
- 1 5 oz. can of tuna, in olive oil
- 6 anchovy filets
- 4 cloves garlic, 2 cloves whole, 2 cloves grated
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup torn parsley & dill
- A few cracks of black pepper
- 1 large lemon
- 4 cups kale leaves, stems removed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, stems removed
- 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Begin by soaking the cashews in hot water. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Drain the cashews, then add to a small blender with 1/3 cup cold water. Blend until smooth.
- Add the tuna, anchovies, 2 garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, herbs, black pepper and zest from 1/2 of the lemon into a food processor. Pour in the cashew cream (don't wash out the blender), and purée until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water if you need to thin it out. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with a large pinch of salt. Set a large bowl of ice water next to it. Plunge the kale and basil into the boiling water and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Use tongs to remove the kale and immediately put it in the ice bath. Empty the water from the pot.
- Squeeze out any excess moisture from the kale and basil and add it into the blender you used for the cashew cream. (We are using leftover cashew cream here to make it thicker, no waste!) Add the juice from the lemon, a liberal amount of salt, and 1/4 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
- In the pot that you used to boil the kale, add a glug of olive oil and put it on medium heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant and golden. Pour in the kale sauce and stir. Pour in the beans, and simmer softly for 1-2 minutes. Season as needed.
- To serve, scoop a big helping of beans into each bowl. Add a large swirl of tonnato on top (you'll have some tonnato leftover, but that should be a good thing!) and eat with crusty bread. Serve warm!
Comments
This looks absolutely delicious! Cannot wait to try it! All your recipes look fantastic! Just a little note…in your pic you show Cannellini Beans, but your recipes says Kidney Beans as an ingredients. Thinking the Kidney Beans is an error?
It is! Thank you for catching that! (Although any bean will work in a pinch 😉 I’ll update!
If I wanted to veganize this what might be a good option for the tuna and sardines? Looks delicious.
That’s tricky since they are such a big base of the tonnato! In this case, I would recommend subbing the tonnato entirely for a good old fashioned cashew cream. Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in hot water for a few minutes, then blend with capers, salt, 1/2 cup of fresh water and lemon juice until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper as needed!
I made this the other day and it was delicious! I wasn’t expecting to love the Tonnato as much as I did. Thank you for sharing as always!
Just made this—so good! I did blanch the kale and basil but the sauce still came out way darker than the nice bright green in your photos and I’m not sure why. Any suggestions?
Ooo this is a good question! In my personal experience (I make this meal on repeat haha) your kale is a huge factor in what color it will be. And I don’t mean kale varietal, I mean just the particular bunch of kale you are using. I’ve had it range from dark green (which I like) to really bright, and in my video it just turned out bright this time! To maintain brightness, I’d lower the blanch time by about 30 seconds and make sure you have no stems included, and that should help a bit 🙂
Hi! I’m making this recipe right now and am having the hardest time getting the kale to blend. I’m using a Vitamix but it seems there isn’t enough ingredient for the blades to catch and process. What food processor and blender do you use? My kale basil sauce definitely isn’t a sauce consistency.. Thanks for the advice! I’ve been loving your other recipes so much.
Hi! I use my Nutribullet, but I make this recipe on the regular and sometimes if there are any stems in the process it becomes nearly impossible to make it smooth, so my best advice would be double check for any stem remnants in there! My other suggestion to save your blender is to increase the boil time by a few minutes, making sure the kale is ready to blend. And lastly, feel free to add more water as needed – that’s always a good way to save it!
Oh my gossssshhhhh this is so tasty! I happen to love greens, but also love recipes where you can squeeze in extra, and this is just the best possible way to eat a boatload of them on a cold day. Love love love. The swirl of tonnato just takes it over the top.
Omg I am so happy you like it! It’s one of my favorites so I love that you love it (and the tonnato) as much as I do!
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