One of the silver linings of 2020 was learning to create delicious meals with pantry essentials and creating maximum flavor with minimal effort and ingredients. This recipe was born of the last remaining ingredients before the next bi-monthly food shopping trip. I haven’t stopped making it since, because it’s so darn delicious. It’s a hearty vegetarian dish on it’s own, super satisfying on thick pieces of toast, or as a side with soft boiled eggs for brunch. Make sure to serve it with a generous amount of olive oil for best results.

Ingredients

3 medium yellow onions, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, 3 finely chopped, 1 kept whole

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or juice of 1/4 a lemon

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1-inch-thick slices of toasted bread of choice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Pulse onions in a food processor until finely chopped and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with pulsing the red pepper separately in the food processor.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion mixture, stirring often for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the peppers to the onion mixture, season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and continue to sauté for another 15 minutes until vegetables have softened and little liquid remains in the pan.
4. Add finely grated garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste turns to a deep red, about 3 minutes. If the pan is dry, add a bit of oil to help caramelize the tomato paste and prevent garlic from burning.
5. Add the beans to the vegetables and combine all of the ingredients together.
6. Add broth to the beans, scraping any brown bits from the bottom.
7. Drizzle balsamic vinegar or lemon juice to the mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
8. Cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces slightly. You can crush a few of the beans in the pan to make the broth creamier.
9. While the beans finish cooking, toast thick slices of bread and rub the warm bread with remaining whole garlic clove.
10. Serve beans with a nice drizzle of olive oil and garnish with fresh chives or parsley along with warm garlic bread.

~Tip
You can char the red peppers by roasting under the broiler prior to mixing with onions to achieve an added depth of flavor.