Nutrition in Pregnancy: Tuscan Bean Toasts

Apparently, I am on a Tuscan white bean kick, since the last recipe I posted was Tuscan white bean soup – oh, well, it’s delicious, so we’ll go with it!

This recipe is for those nights when you don’t have a lot of time (which is most nights for me). They go together very quickly, and are sooooooo good. I add extra garlic in mine, because I love garlic. The cannellini beans provide a nice serving of protein, iron, b vitamins, and fiber, and you can add some greens in there for an extra boost of nutrition. Kale works well, so I’ve included it here.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 4 thick slices of crusty sourdough or whole-grain bread
  • 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil (I just eyeball it)
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped (or half of a small red onion, if you don’t have shallots)
  • handful of chopped kale
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, left whole
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3-4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of sourdough slices with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake for five minutes on each side or until nicely browned.

In the meantime, heat approximately 3 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick skillet (cast-iron works well), and add the shallots or onion, tomatoes, kale, salt, and pepper. Let these cook, with only occasional stirring, for 10-12 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down and carmelize.

Stir in the garlic, red wine vinegar, and honey. Cook for about 30 seconds, and then add the cannellini beans. Cook until heated through (about 2 minutes), and then give the beans a little smash with the back of a spoon to make a creamier topping.

Spoon the bean mixture onto your toasts and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

That’s it! I recommend that you consider doubling the recipe – we usually gobble this up quickly.

I hope you love it!