Creamy White Beans With 'Nduja, Kale, and Gremolata Breadcrumbs Recipe

Fiery 'nduja spices up creamy white beans and earthy kale, for an easy, hearty weeknight meal.

By
Sasha Marx
Sasha Marx
Senior Culinary Editor
Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.
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Updated May 08, 2020
20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-24
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • The soft spreadable texture and high fat content of 'nduja allows it to easily emulsify and meld with the beans as they simmer, lending them floral heat from the Calabrian chilies and meaty richness from the pork.
  • Lightly wilted kale balances the rich creaminess of the beans and 'nduja, while lemon juice provides a pop of bright acidity.
  • An easy, lemony, and herby breadcrumb topping gives the dish some crunchy textural contrast.

Beans and greens are a classic duo that works for saucing pasta, topping crusty grilled bread, or on its own as a simple and hearty soup. For this simple weeknight recipe, we give creamy white beans and earthy lacinato kale a funky, fiery, porky boost with the addition of 'nduja.

'Nduja is a spicy, spreadable fermented pork sausage that originated in the southern Italian region of Calabria. Most cured sausages have a three-to-one lean-meat-to-fat ratio, but 'nduja flips that ratio and boasts a three-to-one fat-to-meat ratio. This high fat content gives 'nduja its soft, spreadable texture and allows it to easily emulsify and meld into sauces, stews, and the like. 'Nduja also brings plenty of floral heat from crushed Calabrian chilies, which comprise 30% of the sausage mixture. It is also lightly smoked and fermented, which gives the sausage deep flavor with a nice funky finish.

Here, 'nduja gives meaty richness to a simple stew of white beans and greens that comes together in just 30 minutes. We finish the dish with a crunchy, gremolata-inspired breadcrumb topping that's brightened up with parsley and lemon zest. Keeping flavor-bomb ingredients like 'nduja in your fridge makes it easy to pull off super-tasty and super-easy weeknight dinners.

Recipe Details

Creamy White Beans With 'Nduja, Kale, and Gremolata Breadcrumbs Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Beans:

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 large shallots (4 1/2 ounces; 125g), thinly sliced

  • 2 garlic cloves (10g), thinly sliced

  • Kosher salt

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup; 113g) 'nduja (see notes)

  • 3 (15-ounce) cans low-sodium white beans (cannellini or Great Northern), drained and rinsed

  • 1 quart (950ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 1 bunch (8 ounces; 225g) lacinato kale, tough stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces (see notes)

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice (from one lemon; zest finely grated and set aside before juicing fruit)

For the Gremolata Breadcrumbs: (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup (1 1/4 ounces; 35g) panko breadcrumbs

  • 1/4 cup (15g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

  • Finely grated zest from one lemon

Directions

  1. For the Beans: In large, straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallots and garlic, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

  2. Add 'nduja and, using a wooden spoon, break it into pieces and stir vigorously to combine with shallots and garlic. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until fat from 'nduja separates, and shallots and garlic are stained red and fully coated with 'nduja, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

    20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-shallots-

  3. Add beans. Use wooden spoon to crush roughly 1/4 of the beans against sides and bottom of the pan. Stir until beans are fully incorporated and coated in 'nduja-shallot mixture.

    20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-adding-beans-

  4. Add chicken stock, season lightly with salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a creamy, stew-like consistency, with some beans just poking out on the surface, about 15 minutes.

    20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-adding-stock

  5. Add kale, and stir to incorporate and very lightly wilt the greens, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and season to taste with salt.

  6. For the Gremolata Breadcrumbs: While the beans simmer, combine oil and breadcrumbs in medium skillet, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until toasted and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add parsley and lemon zest, season lightly with salt, stir to combine, and continue to cook until parsley begins to sizzle and mixture is very fragrant of citrus, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer breadcrumb mixture to small bowl and set aside until you are ready to serve.

    20200114-nduja-white-beans-kale-gremolata

  7. For Serving: Divide beans between individual serving bowls and sprinkle with gremolata breadcrumbs. Serve immediately, passing more breadcrumbs at the table.

Special equipment

Straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven

Notes

'Nduja is a spicy spreadable pork salame that originates from the southern Italian region of Calabria. In the US, it can be purchased at specialty shops that carry salumi/charcuterie, Italian markets, or online from producers like Tempesta Artisan Salumi. Look for 'nduja made with just 4 ingredients: pork, Calabrian chilies, salt, and lactic acid.

Lacinato kale is also known as Tuscan, dinosaur, or black kale.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The finished beans can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The gremolata breadcrumbs can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
684Calories
25gFat
80gCarbs
39gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories684
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g32%
Saturated Fat 7g33%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 2058mg89%
Total Carbohydrate 80g29%
Dietary Fiber 17g62%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 39g
Vitamin C 35mg174%
Calcium 272mg21%
Iron 9mg49%
Potassium 1844mg39%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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