Arugula Pesto & White Bean Panzanella

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Arugula Pesto & White Bean Panzanella!! Winter Panzanella at it’s best!

Remember that arugula pesto pasta we made after our Italy trip a few years ago? Well, I had made it over the holidays and had a TON of leftover pesto stashed in my freezer. It needed to be put to good use! Obviously the right thing to do with it was toss it with some warmed white beans and toasted croutons and turn it into a panzanella! So that’s what I did!

White Bean Arugula Pesto Panzanella from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

I’ve been experimenting with my instant-pot, per your guys request, and have all sorts of legumes coming out of my ears! I’ve made white beans, black beans, refried beans… the works! I’ll be posting recipes ASAP. But in the meantime, just know that these white beans mixed with the arugula pesto and some garlic croutons is EVERYTHING. Truly – I could eat it all day long. If you’re going sans carbs this month, first I’m impressed! And second,  just make this salad but leave out the bread. You can fedex it to me 🙂

White Bean Arugula Pesto Panzanella

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Side Dish, Salad, Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 -8 people

Ingredients
  

For the Arugula Pesto

  • 8 cups arugula
  • 1/4 cup almonds or pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup olive oil plus more as needed

For the Beans

  • 3 cups cooked white beans
  • 1-2 lemons juiced and zested
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots
  • 1-2 cups garlic croutons recipe below

For the Garlic Croutons

  • 1 loaf french bread a few days old
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions
 

For the Garlic Croutons

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the bread into small cubes. Transfer cubed bread to a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the bread with the olive oil and butter and then sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Using your hands, gently toss the croutons and make sure they are coated with all the oils, butters and seasonings. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

For the Arugula Pesto

  • In a blender, combine 2 packed cups of the arugula with the nuts, cheese, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend until well combined and then drizzle in the olive oil while running.

To assemble

  • Warm the beans so they are warm but not too hot. Toss the beans with the pesto and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Toss the remaining arugula with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange the arugula on a large platter, spoon beans on top and sprinkle the shallots and croutons on top. Serve.

Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe inspo from Melissa Clark // Dinner

11 Comments

  1. I want this in mah belly! But can someone help me understand why I can’t pin this? I try to pin and I get the pic but it doesn’t link back to the recipe 🙁

    1. I did last night. I just sautéed the shallots in the olive oil and then added drained and rinsed beans. Warmed them through and added zest and lemon juice. It was still delicious.

  2. 5 stars
    Just made this and I am swooning! Didn’t have any shallots on hand, so substituted with scallions. It’s a meal in itself, but I think it would be good with grilled salmon.

  3. I have two family members who can’t eat cashews, pine nuts, walnuts and almonds due to it allergies. Do you have a recommendation for a nut free pesto? Would pistachios work?

  4. 5 stars
    Yum! Yum! Yum! I made this for dinner tonight and loved it! The recipe is super easy, and the flavors are excellent! It was filling enough for dinner on its own which I was questioning at first. Those croutons tho

.I’d eat those over anything!!

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