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Kale and White Bean Stew
Difficulty level Easy
YIELD Makes 6 to 8 servings
One of the great things about having a vegetarian meal is that it is significantly less expensive than eating meat. I actually had all of the ingredients on my pantry shelf other than the fresh kale. For the three main ingredients this is what I spent: 89 cents for the white beans, which I bought on sale; $1 for the canned tomatoes, also on sale; and $1.99 for the kale. That's a whopping $3.88 for a meal for six.
I didn't factor in the cost of the chicken stock, because I make my own and I always have it on hand, but perhaps I should. The last batch of chicken stock I made cost me about $6 for the stock bones and about 50 cents for the vegetables that went into the pot. I got two recipes of soup and this stew from that pot of stock, so it's probably about $1 worth of stock. If you made vegetable stock, it would cost about half that amount.At the last minute, I decided to use up the rest of a package of linguine, serving the stew on top. It would cost about $1 for enough linguine to serve six. So, if you added the stock and the pasta to our previous total, you get a healthy, nutritious and delicious dinner for six for less than $1 per person.
INGREDIENTS
| 2 tbs | olive oil |
| 2 | small shallots, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 pound | mustard greens or kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into 1-inch strips |
| Juice from a lemon | |
| 2 teaspoons | light brown sugar |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1/4 teaspoon | red pepper flakes |
| 1 14.5‑ounce | can vegetable broth |
| 1 28‑ounce | can whole or diced tomatoes, undrained |
| 1 15‑ounce | can white beans, drained |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | kosher salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | black pepper |
PREPARATION:
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and greens and cook, stirring frequently, until the greens begin to wilt, 3-5 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the brown sugar, bay leaf, red pepper, broth, and the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the greens are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season with the salt, black pepper, and (if desired) the remaining lemon juice.
From Real Simple