Trying out a different approach to working beans into our meals during the week: Sunday afternoon I cooked a pound of alubia blanca beans on the stove and stuck them in the fridge so I can quickly use them in side dishes throughout the week.

First up: White bean and tomato panzanella from The Bean Book. I can’t find this one online anywhere and I don’t feel right sharing the recipe here, so you’ll need to buy a copy of The Bean Book or check it out from your local library. You won’t regret it. Great book.

I used fresh tomatoes (bumble bee cherry tomatoes), basil, and parsley from our garden. Always lovely to use our own produce.

The dish:

It might have looked a bit more photogenic if I had drained the bean broth from the beans before I put them in the fridge, but I didn’t. Next time I will.

To give you a sense of what it tasted like, it had red onion, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, croutons, white beans, tomatoes, basil, and parsley. It was acidic and herbaceous, and it was equal parts creamy and crunchy. It is served cold.

It was a cinch to make since the beans were already cooked. It came together while some sausage was cooking on the grill. I’ll definitely make this again, especially if I have a quarter loaf of dried out bread to use up.

I have two more dishes in mind for the rest of this pound of beans, both with tomatillos. One served warm, the other served cold. Stay tuned.