A plate of white beans with cavolo nero pesto, made fiery from fresh chili and with added crunch from pine nuts, is so easy yet very delicious! Scoop it up with a crusty bread roll or serve with grilled meats for a hearty main meal.

If you are looking for ways to use cavolo nero, you must try this. It's full of nutrition and fiber and gives a vibrant splash of color to the table.
🛒 Ingredients
- White beans - you can use cannellini beans (sometimes known as white kidney beans), butter beans, or other beans like flageolet beans.
- Cavolo nero - you can replace some or all of the cavolo nero with kale or spinach if you prefer. Cavolo nero is also known as Tuscan Kale or Italian kale and it has a milder, slightly sweeter taste than curly kale.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili
- Pine nuts
- Basil
- Parsley
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make white beans with cavolo nero pesto.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Drain the white beans and set aside.
Chop the cavolo nero into small pieces and remove any tough bits of stalk from the ends.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium heat and saute the diced onion until translucent. Add the diced garlic, cavolo nero, and chili, and continue to saute for another couple of minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Transfer the sauteed cavolo nero, onion, chili, and garlic to a blender or bowl and add fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Blend until you form a smooth, loose pesto, adding a small splash of water if necessary. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and then stir in the beans to coat them in the pesto.
🍽 How to serve white beans and cavolo nero pesto
You can serve this dish warm, at room temperature, or cold. To serve warm, return the mixture to a saucepan to warm it through (or use the microwave). Spread the cavolo nero pesto and beans onto a serving plate and sprinkle with more basil, pine nuts, and chili. I like to drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil as well.
These white beans with a cavolo nero pesto taste delicous on the side of main dishes like a crispy roast leg of lamb or a citrus and herb spatchcock chicken. I like to scoop it up with a crusty bread roll at lunchtime, too, as part of a spread of salads.
Blend this recipe up to make it into a dip, or you can even slacken the cavolo nero pesto further with some chicken or vegetable broth and turn this into a soup!
I'd highly recommend trying my creamy flageolet beans with sage and pancetta recipe, too, if you love beans!
🍷Wine Pairing
I'd serve a lightly chilled Pinot Noir with this recipe.
Check out more basic food and wine pairing tips to elevate all your meals!
🥣 Equipment
I saute cavolo nero in a frying pan with the onion, garlic, and chili and use an immersion blender (stick blender) or small food processor to turn it into the cavolo nero pesto sauce.
❄️ Storage and Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze this recipe, defrost it thoroughly, and use it within 1 month.
🙏🏻 If you try this recipe...
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
White Beans With Cavolo Nero Pesto
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender or small food processor
Ingredients
- 500 g (3 cups) White beans e.g., white kidney beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, butter beans
- 200 grams (7 oz) Cavolo nero or kale/spinach
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chili
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoon fresh basil
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Drain the white beans and set aside. Chop the cavolo nero/Tuscan kale into small pieces and remove any tough bits of stalk from the ends.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium heat and saute the diced onion for a few minutes with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add the chopped garlic, cavolo nero, and chili, and continue to saute for another couple of minutes until it has wilted.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then transfer the sauteed cavolo nero, onion, chili, and garlic to a blender or bowl (plus immersion blender) and add fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Blend until you form a smooth, loose pesto, adding a small splash of water if necessary. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and then stir in the beans to coat them in the pesto.
- If you want to serve this dish warm, return it to the pan or a saucepan to heat through. Spread onto a plate and top with more fresh basil, sliced chili, and pine nuts.
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