White Bean Miso Salad
Miso is an amazing ingredient, and in this simple, but powerful salad, it takes the beans to a whole new level of flavorful. Packed with protein and coming together in just minutes with a few ingredients, this is a salad to keep in your weekly meal rotation!
This salad is perfect to have alongside a vegetable main dish (like with cauliflower steaks shown here), or you could double it up and have it as a main course!
How to make this your own
Adding other ingredients
The recipe this is based off of includes radishes. That’s a great option, one I decided not to include here mostly because my supermarket’s selection of radishes is pitiful on the best of days. But feel free to include some fun varieties if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some.
How much miso is too much?
You really can’t go wrong with too much miso in my opinion. I call for a 1/2 cup here, because I like my flavors to make a statement. My suggestion: if you’re unsure about the amounts I’ve called for, start with a smaller amount, taste test, and add more if needed.
What if I hate arugula?
Curiously, I’m the only one in my family of three that loves arugula. But you know what? They love it in this salad! Point being: try it out and see if the miso and beans take away from the bitterness. If you’re fairly sure you’ll still hate the arugula, you can always try a different green: spinach, swiss chard, kale, etc. are all great options.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white miso
1/4 cup water (more if needed)
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 2 -3 cloves)
2 cans white beans, rinsed (cannellini or navy beans)
4 oz. arugula
Directions:
Start with making the miso dressing. Put your miso in a small to medium bowl (should be just big enough you can stir the water in without splashing). Add the 1/4 cup of water and stir until you have a mixture the texture and consistency of apple sauce. Add more water if needed. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds to a minute, or until fragrant and just starting to brown slightly. Add the beans and stir for 2 -3 minutes to fully incorporate them in the garlic butter.
Add in the miso and stir until it’s fully incorporated into the beans. Stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the beans are completely warm and the mixture starts to bubble slightly. You can taste test here to make sure nothing else is needed. If you need salt at all, this is when you’d add it.
Add the arugula by the handfuls and stir a little just so they wilt into the mixture. Take off the heat.
Enjoy as a protein-rich side, or double-up the recipe to enjoy for your main course!
