Greens with Cannellini Beans and Pancetta

This is a great and easy way to use up the greens from your fresh beets. I did make a couple of changes: 1. I rendered the bacon in a pan and used some of the leftiver fat to cook the onions in. 2. At the end, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar, which really seemed to brighten up all the flavors. 3. I served with a sprinkling of freshly grated parm over each bowl.

Awesome! My husband INHALED this! He said it reminded him of his grandma's cooking (she's very southern and used to make him collard greens, white beans and ham). I couldn't find beet greens, so I used 2 bunches of kale. I also used 5 slices of pancetta since I can only find the paper-thin stuff. I also added some fresh ground pepper. Excellent for a light and healthy dinner. Thanks very much!

Wonderful success with my older parents. I am the designated greens cooker (usually collards) for family dinners. I thought I would try this "greens and beans" recipe as a change. It was a major success. They not only wanted the recipe but took home the little that was left in "people bags". Easy and delicious. And "greens and beans" was a catchy name they liked too. I briefly cooked the onions in the olive oil. A dash of your favorite hot pepper vinegar will brighten up the greens but I elected to just put the bottle on the table and let each adjust for their taste.

I've been eating greens prepared this way (without the wine) all my life and make it often myself - this is the standard way of cooking vegetables in Italian households. My favorite is with Swiss Chard - you must cook it quite awhile so it becomes tender and mild. Beet greens are a close second! Ceci beans (garbanzo beans) may be used instead of cannellini beans and it's just as good without beans too. I love this stuff so much I could make a meal of it on its own.

Yum! We call this 'beans & greens'. Used spinach and kale. Doubled the greens and doubled the bacon. Prepped the greens and onion earlier in the day, making dinner a snap! Pan fried the bacon till crisp and then used the drippings to sauté onion and greens. Served with country sausage (didn't need too) - Family was really surprised that they liked it! Will make again and again! Thanks for sharing.

Used fresh beans, boiled till just tender, from Hillcrest Farmer's Market during my visit to Little Rock. Vegetarian version: left out meat and for flavor added a 1/4 cup fresh basil-torn in coarse pieces, salt and pepper, about 10 coarsely chopped walnuts (lightly brown with garlic) and a few big squirts of lemon (gives the "kick"). Left out the beet greens as didn't have on hand. Yum!!

We really liked this dish. I used bacon instead of pancetta and I cooked it a little longer than in the recipe. I also didn't have any beet greens so I just used a large bunch of kale. Overall I loved it and will definitely be making this again.

This was great - I am always looking for something to add greens to.

I've been cooking greens this way for a long time (using the bacon), but I never thought of adding cannelini beans. It's a great way to add fiber and protein to an already healthy dish. We enjoyed this and will keep this in mind from now on. Thanks Diana!

Made this without the bacon/pancetta, extra garlic and olive oil and it came out perfect! Will be making again.

I've made this with kale and collards. For collards, I took others' advice and added a little liquid to steam the collards until they were tender. I also used chopotle pepper and hot sauce to spice it up a little. I've substituted smoked sausage for bacon. I chopped the sausage into bite sized pieces and cooked it in the olive oil with the onion. Less smoky flavor with the sausage, but good still.

Best greens recipe I've made so far. Kids loved it. It is so easy! I will make this regularly.

This dish was just okay. It was enjoyable, but somewhat bland. Definitely needed to add some chicken broth for the greens to wilt.

Good flavor and easy to make. Both my husband and I enjoyed this dish. It is a keeper.

If you are partial to greens, this is a great recipe. I used collards (from my greenhouse) and the pancetta. I eat my greens with a splash of balsamic vinegar added at the table. My husband likes to add Cholulu hot sauce at the table.

I thought this was great. It was so easy too. I just sprinkled real bacon bits over the top at the step since I didn't have pancetta. I also used 2 cans of large butter beans because that was what I had. I use 2 because I thought it made it more of a meal. And I added 1/4 cup of chicken broth to tie it all together, and because I like my greens a bit softer.

I successfully subbed collard greens for beet greens (which my grocery did not have). I'd previously thought greens needed to be cooked for a long time to be tender, but this method worked. Two huge, tasty servings. I added a couple pinches of red pepper flakes.

I love Italian greens and beans (ala Rochester, NY style) and needed a kick starter recipe to remember an old recipe. I made a vegan version without the pork (I know, sad). The only changes: 1) Make 1 cup of veggie stock (personally love the veggie Better than Boullion for this) and add 1/2c just after the garlic step 2) Allow mixture to simmer, then start adding greens in batches. The greens will wilt AND absorb the yummy stock flavor. 3) Continue to add the remainder of the stock as it is absorbed by the greens until no more of each remains. It should not be soupy. It'll be deliciously moist. 4) Salt and (white) pepper to taste after the beans are added and cooked. 5) Add ~1Tbs of fresh lemon juice at the end, mix and serve!

A fantasically healthy and fast veggie side. Browned the bacon in the pot that was made in, and used the bacon grease instead of olive oil.

Good stuff! I added some chicken broth and a splash of white wine and let the kale simmer for about half an hour to get tender. Used a bean more like a large pinto bean (don't remember the name)and sprinkled a little red pepper flakes for some zip. Leftovers made a great lunch with some diced fresh tomato stirred in. I think it's even better left for a day or two in the fridge.

OH man this was freaking GREAT!! I followed the recipe except to use the pancetta drippings instead of olive oil. I wasn't sure after I was done it was so easy and simple (i'm used to using lots of seasonings) but it tasted fantastic...even as leftovers!!! Sister liked it with a little balsamic vinegar on it but I liked it as is.

turned out great. next time will need to remove more of the kale stem

My garden has produced an abundance of Swiss chard so I tried this recipe using the chard in place of the kale and beet greens, it was excellent! It was the first dish I made with Swiss chard that my boyfriend actually liked!

Too much onion in this recipe. It calls for 1 full onion, and I only used half (cause it looked like way too much) and so glad I did, cause it was still too much. The rest of the flavors were OK, but not amazing. I sprinkled with a little feta cheese and balsamic and ate with crusty bread. I think 1/2 cup onion would be plenty for this recipe, and trust me I use onion in all my cooking.

Good greens recipe. I used 1/2 beet greens from my garden, and 1/2 fresh spinach from my garden. Very yummy and easy way to use up those greens! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Great recipe! I used Kale and Spinach and also used bacon instead of the pancetta. Turned out great!

Great recipe! I ended up adding a bit of sesame oil and rice vinegar.

My husband liked this and he does not usually like kale. I used spinach and kale, and only had some cooked bacon, so I added that and about a tablespoon of bacon grease with more garlic. Fine for two people who are not craving meat.

Even my 10 and 12 year old daughters came back for seconds. We really enjoyed this dish as a new way to eat greens. I usually just put greens in soups, which is good also, but this was instantly a new favorite of mine. Thanks so much!!!

Love this recipe. Easy and quick!

I tried this with a bag of Glory Collard Greens and it still came out delish. Thank you for sharing. Its a new healthy favorite.

My family loved it! My son said it was the best vegetables he's eaten.

Super tasty, and easily turned vegetarian. I used white onions and only kale, as well as preflavored beans, and topped it off with just a little balsamic. I would suggest deveining the kale and beet greens. overall, very tasty.

One of my favorite go to recipes. I use bacon instead of pancetta and it turns out great!

I have made this a few times used Turkey bacon. Added Quinoa cooked in low sodium chicken broth to make it a bit more filling. My 4 & 6 year olds enjoyed it, the oldest had a second helping.

I Liked this Recipe. I used 2 slices applewood smoked bacon as I had no pancetta. I cooked the onion and later the greens in the bacon drippings with just a touch of olive oil. I used Northern White beans as tha is what I had on hand. I drizzled two tablespoons of cider vinegar on top of the finished product which gave it a little more flavor. It was a very nice recipe and was hearty and homey.

This recipe is really good! My husband raved about it. Thanks, Diana!

Very savory... delicious mix of flavors I hadn't considered before.

Used Garden Spinach, 1/2 Of A Small Onion, 1 Clove Of Garlic, And A Couple Dashes Of Crushed Red Pepper. Needed More Olive Oil.

I used bacon, collard greens instead of beet greens and added red pepper flakes....so delicious! Almost better than my favorite restaurant's.

Sliced my garlic and skipped the beet greens, used dried beans. My red onion was bad so I used a bunch of scallions. Will be using this often.

Fantastic!

Needs a little moisture added to the pan to help the greens wilt. I usually add the kale fairly wet after I have just rinsed it off. That seems to help. I like to do this with kale only, no beet greens. I usually don't have the pancetta so I cheat and use the ready cooked bacon bits that come in a little pouch. And they are less fat. I like to finish this off with either a dash of chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika.

delish - ate this as a main course and it was very filling (plus so nutritious). My only thing was that the kale was still a bit "raw" tasting. I probably should have just let it cook longer, but otherwise it was great.

This was fantastic. I cooked the bacon in the frying pan and used the bacon grease to cook the greens and it was so flavorful. If you want it to be healthier I would microwave the bacon instead. I ate this with avocado and it was delicious!!

A very tasty way to eat your greens. Good leftover too. I used bacon because that's what I had on hand. 2nd time I left beans out because I didn't have any. I poured just a little honey mustard dressing over the beanless dish and it brought the flavors out beautifully. I plan to make this again. Funny thing, I thought I didn't like bitter greens but we got some in our CSA share so I tried this recipe without much hope. I am so glad I was wrong! Now I will crave these when the beet greens run out!

We are primarily vegetarian in my home and found this to be a GREAT entree - served 3 with leftovers (one of which is a 16-year-old boy). Served it over brown rice.

Loved this!!! I was looking for a way to incorporate kale into our meals as a side dish and this was perfect!!! So delicious! 5 stars!

wow -- this is amazing! After making Creamy Beet & Dill soup I found this recipe to use for the beet greens. This is definitely a keeper! Very versatile to other greens, too. We didn't have kale - so we just left it out. I used 2 extra sticks of bacon.

Nice dish! I added some chopped tomatoes and it worked well.

Really good. We love kale, but I do not like beets and had never cooked the greens before. Next time I will add even more greens, they were delicious! Super recipe, thanks for sharing.

Great recipe! I've been looking for ways to include more greens in my family's diet and this recipe was so easy it's a keeper! I added a touch of bacon grease which may have contributed to its yumminess, but didn't kill the healty-ness, I hope!

This is a great base recipe and combination of flavors. I did add about 1/2 cup of stock when I added the kale and let it simmer in that a bit, and also added a touch of hot sauce, balsamic vinegar and sugar then served with side of corn bread.

I think the recipe needs to add liquid or chicken broth to the steaming process. It definitely adds flavor. I had never tried kale (used kale only)before and I do think it is a bit bitter. My husband also made a red wine reduction to go on top of the greens. That helped with the flavor. Will make again and pass on to others.

Ok, this was about a 3.5 star recipe, but with a few little changes, it became a 5 start recipe. Like others, I put about a 1/2 - 3/4 cups of chicken broth when cooking the kale. I also added about 4TB balsamic vinegar, about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth and two sausage links (sliced. I used bratwurst). I shook a little bit of garlic powder, onion powder and some salt. It was deeeeeelightful. If I hadn't needed the protein, I wouldn't have added the sausage. The balsamic vinegar really added that "something" that was missing.

Suuper easy, delicious too!

Did a slightly different version due to the ingredients I had but we loved this. I used spinach instead of kale and added sundried tomatoes. Then we added a fried egg on top. Really really good.

Excellent recipe! I had yet to find a good kale side dish recipe. We made the following changes: doubled the amount of (microwave) bacon and sauteed it with the onion, red pepper flakes and a little butter and olive oil. Added the kale and wilted it, then added a 1/4 cup chicken broth along with the beans. Added a tablespoon of red wine vinegar to finish. Delicious!

Made it with Swiss Chard, and then splashed it with white balsamic vinegar.

It was bland to me. I'll make it again because I'm tired of serving the same 3 veggies but I'll make some changes. I like the idea of using chicken broth to wilt the spinach, definitely add some cayenne pepper sauce, and maybe come up with another seasoning to throw in.

Wow! Delicious, we cooked the pancetta in the pan rather than the microwave and used the drippings instead of the olive oil. We also used more garlic. The flavors were fabulous together. We will definitely be making this again and again. We used it as a side, but after tasting it, with crusty bread, we see how this could be a meal in itself!

Per usual using what I have in the house. Left over smoked pork chop, simmered with an onion-chopped and garlic (and a bouquet garni of thyme and bay)-stands in for the pancetta and garlic/onion combo. Used dried garbanzo's (1 c) soaked and cooked prior to adding. With 1 very large bunch of red kale (very sturdy stuff!) Simmered all together all day in the crockpot. Worked great! Thanks for inspiration :) 4.22.17 Trying this again with some current pantry adjustments -Pre-chopped bagged and clean kale, chopped crispy bacon (left over added at the end) and canned white beans. Sautéing/simmering the kale in the saved bacon grease, adding onion and garlic. when it was done added one cup chopped steamed carrots for color, beans, 1 cup ham broth and a t dried thyme. Smells great :) 5.25.19 trying this again with what I have...home frozen steamed kale, canned white beans and regular bacon . Proceeding on top of the stove...will let you know :) cooking was easy and fast but the bacon was too salty. Disappointed this time

Made this for Christmas dinner and was liked by all. My sister took the leftovers home. Thank you for the recipe.

I liked it, but no one else did!

Don’t microwave that meat for three minutes!

Great way to use up kale

I used frozen collard greens that I thawed in the microwave & turkey bacon because it’s what I had. I used butter beans because they just sounded good. The only extra things I added were a pinch of sugar, a splash of vinegar & a few dashes of hot sauce. I served it with cornbread & my daughter, who doesn’t normally like greens( except for spinach) loved this!

I made this recipe exactly as posted and then tasted it. It was too dry for my liking, so I ended up adding one cup of low sodium chicken broth and cooking it about 5 minutes longer. I would make it again, with the broth, and I might even add an additional five minutes, because I like my greens quite tender.

I agree with the last entry--too dry and greens didn't wilt enough. Definitely would add chicken broth to make it better, as it is pretty bland. I also used pancetta and i think next time I'd use bacon for more flavor.

This was awesome! I will be making it again soon. I used the beet greens from our garden. Also, I didn’t have kale so I doubled the beet greens. Our garlic Scapes were ready so I used them in place of the garlic. Everything else was as directed. We loved it! So easy and quick!

Good basic recipe. Not enough garlic.

I've made this several times because it's so good. I definitely cook the bacon in a frying pan though, and then use the bacon grease to add flavor to the greens. I am anti-bacon in the microwave!

Perfect for a dinner or side dish YUMMY!!

This was so easy and so good! I used uncurred turkey bacon and bagged kale. Yum!

garden full of kale and looking for recipes. used mature leaves and just steamed w some chicken broth after frying bacon and dumping the grease. nice recipe. tried some balsamic vinegar on the greens while eating and that was good as well. would make four generous servings, rather than two.

This dish is amazing. I cooked dried navy beans with vegetable better than bullion instead of using canned. I used beet greens and kale and bacon. I only used half an onion. Everyone raved about how great it is.

Felt like something healthy tonight and tried this recipe. Delish!

YUM! I only had greens from 1/2 doz beets out of the garden and used just that. also only a white onion i had on hand. i like bacon so next time will add 1 or 2 slices more.

Serving this with cornbread muffins. Made it exactly as listed ingredient wise. Its really good. I hope your roomie has given you a lot more inspiration to share. Thank you.

I love the flavor that developed with just a few easy-to-prepare ingredients. That being said, I changed a few items due to availability and preference: no beet greens, so I doubled the amount of kale; subbed the juice of half a lemon in lieu of any additional salt (medical restriction on sodium); added a sprinkle of lemon pepper to compensate for cutting the salt; seasoned the beans with dried epazote because, well, beans! Otherwise I followed the cooking instructions with a yummy result. Thanks for sharing your recipe.