photo by Lea Kriesberg
Considering it’s peak tomato season, I thought I should make something that highlights how delicious they are right now. Eating produce that’s in-season means it will taste amazing and cost less– it doesn’t get better than that. I don’t even like raw tomatoes that much, but when roasted, they are so good. I promise, even if you don’t like tomatoes either, you should try them roasted. Their flavor completely transforms to taste like how you find them on top of a margherita pizza or in tomato sauce. Roasting with just a little salt, pepper, and olive oil and then simmering the tomatoes makes this recipe really easy, simple, and hands-off. You just put them in the oven and let them do their thing. When they’re simmering, you can just leave it on low heat for however long you have time for and while you’re preparing other things. You can get so much flavor without doing anything fancy or difficult.
I also usually opt for black beans or chickpeas, but for this recipe I mixed it up and used white beans. They have a really nice mild flavor and absorb other flavors well. I combined them with the roasted tomatoes and let them simmer with vegetable stock to create a delicious, simple, and summery dish to pair with greens and rice. In my opinion, garlic will make anything taste good, so sautéing my greens with some fresh garlic makes this recipe even better. It’s an optional step (you could just leave the greens raw) but the garlic complements the beans and tomatoes really well. You could also eat it with pasta or mixed with any other grain you like. This recipe gives me major Italian-inspired vibes and felt way fancier than it really is. I hope you give it a try!
- 4 large tomatoes*
- 2 cans white beans
- 1 can vegetable stock
- 1/2 white onion
- 5 cloves garlic (or use garlic powder)
- brown rice
- greens (I used collard greens but you could use spinach, kale, or anything else)
- nutritional yeast/cheese (optional)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Boil a pot of water for the rice. When the water is boiled, add the rice and simmer until the water is absorbed or until the rice is cooked.
- Chop your tomatoes into chunks (not too small). If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half or leave them whole.
- Drizzle the tomatoes with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to make sure everything is coated.
- Place the tomatoes in a pan (preferably one with sides because the tomatoes will release some juice) and place in the oven for around 20 minutes or until they are slightly shriveled and juicy.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, chop up the onion and garlic.
- Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, throw in the onion and cook until it is fragrant and translucent, then put in the chopped garlic. Stir it around so it doesn’t burn. Garlic burns easily so if it starts to get brown too quickly, turn down the heat.
- When the tomatoes are done in the oven, add them to the pot with the onion and garlic. Add the vegetable stock and white beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium-low so that it is simmering. It might look too liquidy, but just let it simmer in the pot for at least 20 minutes (this allows some of the liquid to evaporate so it will get more thick and stew-like).
- Season with more salt, pepper, and garlic powder if needed
- While the tomatoes and beans are simmering, prepare the greens. Chop up a few more cloves of garlic.**
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Stir it around so it doesn’t burn. After about a minute, add in the greens until they are bright green and softened. This will only take around 3 minutes.
- When the tomato and bean mixture is simmered to your liking, add to a bowl with the rice and greens. Top with a little bit of nutritional yeast or cheese for something extra