Baked greens and beans

I really don't like sauteed greens. They're slimy, and gross me out. However, because they're so nutritious I still try.

We had escarole and turnip greens to use this week and I came across a recipe for baking them. I loved it! They're not that slimy and have a delicious roasted flavor and texture. I think you could use a variety of cooking greens in this recipe.

Clean your greens well, as they can be very sandy and gritty. I just fill the sink with cold water, dump in all the greens and swish them around for a while. Then pick them up from the top where they float (all the grit settles to the bottom), and drain in a colander or salad spinner. Stem and coarsely chop all of them (I probably had a good 8-10 cups of chopped greens).

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a pan; cook a few cloves of chopped garlic until fragrant. I think shallots would be good in this too but I didn't have any. Add your greens and cook down for 5 minutes or so. They should still be a pretty bright green. Add a splash each of good white wine or white balsamic vinegar (helps to cut the bitterness of the greens), 1/8 tsp crushed dried rosemary, a dash of salt and some black pepper. Stir in a can of white beans, rinsed and drained, and heat through.

Pour into a 1.5 quart glass baking dish. Sprinkle a handful of whole wheat Panko bread crumbs and a handful of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until the topping is browned.

You can serve as a side dish, or with a good crusty bread, or as we did: alone, as a tasty lunch.