Marinated White Beans on Olive Oil-Fried Toast

Beans on toast—nothing new to see here, the British have been doing it for a long, long time—but still so good. In England, they typically put baked beans on toast, but this is a lighter, more refreshing version with white beans, fresh herbs, punchy red wine vinegar, and the roastey, deep flavors of sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers.These use pantry staples. I feel like a broken record and a bit cliché saying the phrase, “pantry staples.” Are we all sick of hearing that yet? Maybe, but it’s true. Canned white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, etc.), sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red pepper flakes, and olive oil are always in my pantry—and they have a long shelf life, too, so they could always be in yours if you wanted to easily whip up these marinated white beans. Simply mix everything in a bowl with some fresh herbs (especially now that it’s summer and you hopefully have some overtaking your garden!) and a lot of olive oil and you’re good to go. I highly recommend making this ahead as the flavors only develop and get better as it has a chance to marinate.

You could absolutely cook up some dried beans in place the canned beans with equally (or even more?) delicious results. There’s nothing like a fresh-cooked bean! They’re so melt-in-your-mouth tender but definitely a time commitment. You could play around in the world of Instant Pot beans, but I can’t speak to the results of those…yet. You don’t have to serve this on bread; it would be equally at home on the table as a side dish as it would as a starter on bread. But if you do want it on bread, you absolutely must, cannot skip making olive oil-fried bread. It is on another playing field compared to bread toasted, under the broiler, or grilled. Pour copious amounts of olive oil into a skillet, ensuring you have enough to coat the entire bottom. Add your bread and watch it fry away into a golden-brown, crisp masterpiece. If you have a grill press, even better—it will guarantee full contact between your bread, the olive oil, and the skillet.As I’m wont to do, I forgot to add the goat cheese until the end of taking photos. Don’t be like me! Cheese can only make this better—as it’s wont to do…

You can also use feta for a slightly different flavor profile.

You know how chefs, cookbook writers, and food TV personalities always say, “This would make a great lunch or light dinner” for something that clearly would not be enough for someone who enjoys food a little too much (if you know what I mean) and cannot subsist on a “light dinner”? That drives me crazy. I’ll let you be the judge of this one, but I would happily eat one of these toasts as a starter or side dish to my meal! Bon appétit and enjoy!

Marinated White Beans on Olive Oil-Fried Toast

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Marinated white beans with olive-oil fried toast make a great (and easy!) make-ahead appetizer or side dish out of mostly pantry staples, like canned beans, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, and roasted peppers, and a few fresh herbs!

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Ingredients

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• Two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices rustic country or Italian bread
• High-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• Crumbled goat cheese, for serving
• Microgreens, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Fold in the white beans, roasted peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. To make the olive oil-fried toasts: Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add a thin layer of olive oil. Once hot, add the bread slices and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Serve a generous helping of the beans on top of each bread slice, topped with crumbled goat cheese, if desired, and microgreens.

Notes

Inspiration: Marinated White Beans with Olive Oil Toast on howsweeteats.com