We didn't make it to the store this weekend and had to scrounge a bit for something to eat at lunchtime yesterday.
We started with a can of cannelloni beans from our pantry, rummaged through the fridge for leftovers, and built up from there. It's not the most elegant looking meal, but this improvised Asparagus-Bean Salad wasn't half bad!
It's good to be forced to improvise every now and again. It breaks us out of the mold, making us try new combinations of ingredients and flavors!
We wouldn't have normally thought of cannelloni beans and asparagus, but the creaminess of the beans and the snap of the blanched asparagus worked well together.
The asparagus and arugula were both leftover from previous meals. We bound everything together with a quick homemade vinaigrette, added a (generous) dusting of pecorino, and we had a filling and healthy lunch.
And now we really need to get to the grocery store!
What's your favorite meal on-the-fly?
Asparagus-Bean Salad Over Arugula
Serves 1
1 can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup asparagus, blanched
1 handful arugula, washed and spun dry
A few tablespoons vinaigrette
A few tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
Combine beans, asparagus, and arugula in a bowl.
Toss with vinaigrette. Salt and pepper to taste.
Top with grated percorino and enjoy!
Related: What Foods Can You Carry On the Airplane?
(Images: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)
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this is one of my favorite kinds of meals! i love cannelloni beans in a vinaigrette with leftover veggies and salad greens. i like to use leftover steamed broccoli and some feta too!
i'm inspired for my own lunch now!
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The craziest "I'm starving and there's nothing in my fridge" meal that I ever came up with was also one of the best: bread and butter pickles (a local brand that I love despite hating bread and butter pickles with a passion most of the time), terriaki beef, cheddar and mayo either on a sandwich or by themselves with the cheese crumbled into the mayo and spread on the meat and pickles. I ate it for three days after that and only stopped because I ran out of pickles and cheese.
oh yes, i do love cannellini beans too. best when not off the can but dried ones soaked overnight.
I eat cannellini beans with everything! My new favorite is to top beans with a small amount of olive salad that is supposed to be a muffaletta topping. I also swap in cannellinis for every almost every carb (potatoes, pasta, bread) when I'm watching my weight. Tasty and helps me to flexibly cook for both me and my husband.