Dinner for One: White Beans and Turnip Greens

I bought a bunch of small, white turnips recently at the Corvallis Farmer's Market. These little turnips had a huge amount of greens attached. I actually bought these turnips mostly for the abundant greens.

Baby turnips, gai lan, and green onions from my first trip of the year to the Corvallis Farmer's Market

Before this bunch of greens, I do not know if I had ever tried turnip greens. I did a little research before cooking with turnip greens. I took away three bits of knowledge:

1. The South has a long tradition of cooking turnip greens with bacon. Sounds great!
2. Most folks commented on the bitterness of the greens and adjusted their recipe to take into account the bitterness. Frequent additions to counteract the bitterness were 1/2 teaspoon of sugar or a little bit of apple cider vinegar.
3. Most importantly, turnip greens are packed with nutrients. I had no idea! This chart from the USDA shows the estimated amount of the vitamins and minerals in turnip greens but I found this information from Self Nutrition Data to make more sense. Turnip greens are high in Vitamins A, C, K, folate, calcium, and iron, among other minerals.

I had my grocery budget to think about so bacon was not an option (I did not already have some). I will definitely be trying turnip greens with bacon in the near future.

I was using baby turnips so I knew the bitterness of my greens would not be too bad. Plus, I knew the direction I wanted to go would balance the bitterness.

 
I could have used any type of bean. If my greens were on the pungent side, the sweet creamy white beans I used would off-set the greens. I used tomatoes for three reasons:

• Tomatoes are delicious.
• As they heated up and broke down, the tomatoes would create a thin sauce.
• The acidity of the tomatoes would contrast nicely with the greens and smoked paprika I planned on using.

Now that I have made three different dishes with turnip greens (and enjoyed a few days' worth of leftovers for lunches), I have fallen in love with turnip greens. Bitter is one of my favorite flavors and the bitterness of the greens of baby turnips is very approachable. I will share the recipe where I used the delicious turnip bottoms. The greens would be great in any cuisine. I have used the greens in this recipe, a dish slightly inspired by my Go Ducks! Curry (just without the Indian spices), stir-fry, and sauteed. The greens are flavorful and have a nice texture when wilted. Try turnip greens!

I served my White Beans and Turnip Greens alongside a serving of quinoa. I could have chosen any grain or rice and it would have been just as delicious. Quinoa sounded good that day. Enjoy!

White Beans and Turnip Greens, serves 2

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cups turnip greens, tough stems removed, washed, dried, and chopped
1/2 15 ounce can white beans, almost 1 cup beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Kosher salt

1. In a high-sided skillet, head oil over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, season with half of the pepper flakes and kosher salt. Stirring occasionally, cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Add jalapeno and garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until garlic is tender, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add turnip greens, white beans, tomatoes, and paprika, stirring very gently so not to break the beans, cook until beans are warmed through and greens are tender, about 5-6 minutes. 
4. Season to taste with remaining red pepper flakes and kosher salt. Serve with your favorite grain or rice.