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Bon Appétit

Spiced Creamy White Beans and Greens

4.2

(60)

A plate of beans on a blue background with a side of cilantro and a glass of water
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Dayna Seman

This South Asian–inspired stew gets its lusciousness not from dairy or coconut milk, but from mashing some of the beans into the broth as they cook. The mustard and cumin seed tadka balances the brightness of the lime and the ginger with layers of earthiness and brings additional richness to every spoonful.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

3

Tbsp. plus ⅓ cup olive oil

1

large onion, finely chopped

4

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1

large jalapeño, finely chopped

1

2” piece ginger, peeled, chopped

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper

1

Tbsp. garam masala

1

tsp. ground turmeric

2

15.5-oz. cans white beans, rinsed

4

cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1

bunch greens (such as Tuscan kale)

Juice of 1 lime

1

Tbsp. cumin seeds

2

tsp. mustard seeds

Cilantro leaves (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and a few grinds of pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and onion is starting to brown at edges, 8–10 minutes. Sprinkle garam masala and turmeric over; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is coated and spices darken slightly, 1–2 minutes.

    Step 2

    Add beans and broth to pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook, occasionally mashing some of the beans, 15–20 minutes.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, remove ribs and stems from greens; discard. Coarsely chop leaves.

    Step 4

    Add greens and lime juice to pot and stir to wilt greens. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

    Step 5

    Heat remaining ⅓ cup oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add cumin and mustard seeds and a big pinch of salt. Cook, swirling, until fragrant and mustard seeds begin to pop, about 1 minute. Remove tadka from heat.

    Step 6

    Divide beans and greens among bowls and top with tadka and cilantro.

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Reviews (60)

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  • Delicious and easy! I used a homemade veggie scrap stock and that worked well here. Don't skip the tadka, it brings great texture and flavor. Next time I'll make a double batch.

    • Emily CB

    • Lincoln, NE

    • 12/6/2023

  • Followed this exactly as written and despite all of the aromatics and spices it was somehow so bland and unsatisfying. It just tastes like spiced broth, can’t taste anything else. Tried to save it with extra lime juice and then a bit of Greek yogurt. Double checked the recipe to see if I missed something but I didn’t. Lamest white bean recipe I’ve tried!

    • JJ

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 12/2/2023

  • This was really good. Next time we will add the buttery toast things from the coconutty beans and greens recipe from BA.

    • Genna

    • 11/10/2023

  • I have made this recipe multiple times and my entire family loves it! I make it exactly to the recipe and do not find the garam masala too strong. The tadka is delicious and adds wonderful texture to this recipe. I highly recommend this as a healthy, easy and tasty recipe!

    • Amy C.

    • Dallas, TX

    • 3/21/2023

  • My tadka (olive oil with spices) ended up burning, but it was delicious without. I was actually happy not to have the extra fat. I used spinach and thought it was great.

    • Jessie Georges

    • Herndon, VA

    • 1/21/2023

  • This dish was delicious. I used and would continue to use less salt, oil and beans and add more greens. Wonderful and hearty for a delicious cool-weather meal.

    • mariposatree

    • Chiang Mai, Thailand

    • 1/10/2023

  • Ditto on the overwelming garam masala, mayb it depends on the brand. Be careful if there is salt in your veggie broth it can turn out way too saltly.

    • chris

    • 95694

    • 12/7/2022