This Recipe With Charred Broccoli & Cannellini Beans Is The Easiest Dense Bean Salad To Make

January is when we take time to reset and adopt steps to better ourselves and our health. Many make resolutions to eat healthier, often leaning toward incorporating more plants into their diets.  Slow and steady changes over time have been proven to be one of the most successful ways to change eating habits permanently, and an easy way to do this is to dedicate at least one meal a week to being meatless.  

A meatless meal, however, does not mean a meal without protein, which is the case for this delicious broccoli and bean dish. Cannellini beans are both high in protein and fiber, making you feel fuller longer.  In this recipe, the broccoli is charred to add a smoky note. Additionally, a creamy, piquant tahini dressing compliments the smoke and enhances the lemon in the dressing on the beans. The nuttiness of the sesame seeds rounds out the dish and brings it full circle back to the nutty notes in the tahini.

This dish is low-cost and nods to another resolution people make at the beginning of the year — saving money. Incorporating more plants into your diet doesn’t have to break the bank, especially if you buy local and seasonal ingredients. Think of this recipe as a canvas that welcomes seasonal produce. Squashes are in season now, as are Brussels sprouts and carrots. This recipe is versatile enough to lend itself to various vegetables and cooking methods. For example, grill your veggies in the summer instead of charring them in the oven. As you seasonally adapt, you’ll see that keeping your resolutions is easier than you thought. If you are looking for an easy dense bean salad recipe, look no further than this one with smoky broccoli and cannellini beans.

Charred Broccoli With Cannellini Beans 

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:6-8 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 large broccoli heads
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ½ cup tahini
• Juice of one lemon, divided
• ½  cup hot water
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 tsp white miso (optional)
• 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Separate the broccoli heads into individual florets and toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the broccoli for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges become browned.
2. While the broccoli is cooking, combine the tahini, hot water, lemon juice, garlic, white miso, and cayenne in a medium-sized bowl and whisk it together. The consistency should be thick but runny. Add more hot water if the consistency remains like a paste.
3. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon over the broccoli and toss the broccoli with the tahini sauce. Add the beans to the broccoli and gently mix with the broccoli, trying not to break up the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Top with cilantro, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Keywords:Beans, Broccoli, Dinner Recipes, Healthy, Lemon, Savory, Vegan

• Beans
• Broccoli
• Dinner Recipes
• Healthy
• Lemon
• Savory
• Vegan