Dinner on the Cheap: Garlickly Greens & Beans

Back in the day — four years ago to be exact — I had intended to start a new recipe series called “dinner on the cheap”. You may recall this recipe, which so many of you loved (and we still love…all the time!).

Well, welcome to the second installment! I mean, it’s only been four years. Come on, people. So I’m a little slow.

Seriously though, this is just the kind of dinner I make when I have no idea what else to cook and I want to get some quick, tasty nutrition into our bellies without breaking the bank. It’s not even really a recipe but I knew if I had just posted a photo of it — which was our dinner last night — on Instagram, you guys would have asked for the recipe. So here we go. I’ve been making versions of this since I moved into my first apartment for culinary school almost ten years ago (sidenote: what is happening? ten years?). It’s really simple and really good. My kids absolutely love this and I love that I make a meal out of basically nothing. Just some beans, olive oil, garlic and greens from the garden.

This might not seem like a meal but I can assure you it really is. I usually pair this with some bread from the bakery, milk for Grayson and wine for me. 🙂 It’s a great light dinner that I make often in the spring when my kale and collards are going crazy outside. 

Salads are a little difficult for Grayson still…but for some reason, he really gets into cooked greens. I’m not complaining. I think it’s because I have just always given them to him and, because of our little garden, we eat a lot of greens. Collards sauteed in olive oil is pretty much the standard veggie side-dish I make a few times a week. We never grow sick of it either.

I’ve only made beans and greens with dried beans and I urge you to do the same. It really doesn’t take any extra work and the result is 150% worth it. I just do a quick soak with my lima beans the morning I want to make this for dinner. Then, I simmer the soaked beans for 45 minutes during naptime in the afternoon. Once you have your beans cooked, this comes together in approximately four minutes.

I never fail to be impressed with how good this actually tastes, despite it’s simplicity. Try it and you’ll see!