Name: Piccata Beans
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin; 4 anchovy fillets; 3 tablespoons capers; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed; 1 cup dry white wine; ½ cup water; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice; 1½ teaspoons kosher salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces; ¼ cup chopped fresh dill

Why This Recipe Works

This plant-forward riff on chicken piccata channels the dish’s briny, lemony flavor into a pot of creamy beans. We melt anchovies and garlic into olive oil to build a deeply savory foundation and add capers and pepper flakes to lend the sharp, salty bite piccata is known for. Mashing a portion of the cannellini beans releases their starch, which thickens the wine-and-lemon mixture into a velvety, clingy sauce. Butter stirred in off heat gives the sauce its glossy richness, and a generous handful of fresh dill brings a bright, grassy finish that sets this version apart.

Before You Begin

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Instructions

Cook 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 5 thinly sliced garlic cloves, and 4 anchovy fillets in 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until anchovies begin to break apart and garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons capers and ¼ teaspoon pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in 2 rinsed cans cannellini beans, 1 cup white wine, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to strong simmer. Cook until thickened slightly, mashing about one-third of beans with spoon to release their starch, 5 to 7 minutes.

Off heat, stir in 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, and ¼ cup chopped dill until incorporated. Serve, drizzling with extra oil.