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Beans with Rare Steak & Pesto

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Submitted by dmaband

Beans with rare steak and pesto: grilled steak sliced rare over mashed cannellini beans with fresh basil-parsley pesto. A Tuscan-style dinner that’s lean, protein-heavy, and deeply savory.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

15 min

COOK

40 min

READY

1 hrs

This is classic Tuscan-style plating, where the beans do as much heavy lifting as the meat, maybe more. Creamy mashed cannellini beans get folded with half a batch of bright basil-parsley pesto, topped with thin slices of rare steak, and drizzled with more pesto at the table.

The trick here is letting the beans and steak come to room temperature before you start. Cold beans dampen the pesto flavors, and cold steak hits the grill unevenly.

The pesto is worth making fresh rather than reaching for a jar. Combining basil with Italian parsley mellows the sharpness you’d get from basil alone, and the thin stream of water added to the food processor after the oil gives the sauce a silkier consistency that coats the beans without pooling.

Grill the steak to rare and don’t overshoot. Twelve minutes total for a 3-pound steak, turning once, hits the right internal temperature. Five minutes of rest before slicing is non-skippable (even though we can’t call it non-negotiable) because it keeps the juices in the meat.

Slice across the grain very thin, any steak this lean eats tougher when cut thick.

Chef Tips

  • Use a flank, skirt, or hanger steak, the cuts that stay tender when sliced thin against the grain
  • Mash the beans lightly with a fork, fully pureed beans lose their texture
  • Make the pesto first so it has 10 minutes to rest, the garlic mellows as it sits
  • Serve on warm plates, cold plates chill the thinly sliced rare steak into under-done territory

Variations

  • Swap basil-parsley pesto for a sun-dried tomato pesto for a more pungent, red-hued dish
  • Add halved cherry tomatoes and a handful of arugula to the plating for a more salad-like feel
  • Use grilled lamb instead of beef for a bolder, more Mediterranean version

Ingredients

3 1.4
POUNDS KG BEEF, STEAK *
3 710
CUPS ML WHITE KIDNEY BEANS, CANNED
mashed, prefer cannellini
1 ¼ 296
CUPS ML BASIL
packed *
1 237
CUP ML ITALIAN PARSLEY
packed
1 1
CLOVES EACH GARLIC
½ 118
CUP ML PARMESAN CHEESE
grated
½ 118
CUP ML OLIVE OIL
½ 118
CUP ML WATER

Directions

Remove the steak and beans from the refrigerator to take off a bit of the chill.

Meanwhile, prepare a pesto by placing the basil, parsley, garlic and Parmesan in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.

Process until finely chopped, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the motor running, pour in the olive oil, then the water, in a thin stream.

Mix the beans with half the pesto, season with salt.

Set beans and remaining pesto aside.

Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper.

Grill, turning once, until just rare in the center, about 12 minutes total.

remove from the grill and lst stand for 5 minutes, then cut across the grain into very thin slices.

Divide the beans among dinner plates.

Top with 2 to 3 slices of grilled steak and drizzle with some of the remaining pesto.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 141g (5.0 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 262 54% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 16g 24%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 106mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 7%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars g
Protein 20g
Vitamin A 13% Vitamin C 17%
Calcium 15% Iron 20%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber, Sugar-Free, Low Sodium
 
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