Roasted Red Pepper & Potato White Bean Salad

who says salads need lettuce?

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’re somehow reading this and aren’t yet subscribed, be sure to do so below. You can expect recipes in your inbox every Tuesday, and paid subscribers receive even more every Thursday!

CATCH UP!

We moved this weekend! I’m currently sitting in my friends’ backyard bumming off of their wifi, as we still haven’t gotten ours set up. It has been quite the experience pulling out all our boxes from storage and looking at items that I haven’t touched in almost a year now. After basically living out of a suitcase the past year, I’m realizing how much I have that I don’t need. Time for spring cleaning in January.

That being said, it also feels incredible to create a home for ourselves again! There are so many routines that Grant and I created when we first moved in together and at the start of covid. I loved waking up in the morning, going out to the garden, making my matcha, and eating breakfast out on our patio. We would often make Aperol spritzes and sit outside with a book and watch the sunset. Although I don’t miss the early days of the pandemic (even though it’s currently feeling just as ominous), I do long for our little rituals, and I can feel myself getting closer to them by the day (although the chaos in my kitchen is currently suggesting otherwise).

Speaking of the kitchen, I am ACHING to get cooking in it. We’ve been ordering takeout as we get the house gets set up, but I keep craving to make a cozy pot of brothy beans or bake some banana bread. Soon enough! Thankfully, I thought ahead and created this recipe last week to give myself time to set up the kitchen.

RECIPE!

This week’s recipe is a salad that’s not really a salad. It is, but it isn’t, you know? It’s tossed together like a salad, but there’s no lettuce. It’s simply dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil, with a sprinkle of Parmesan for saltiness (this can be omitted to make it vegan, just add more salt). It definitely pulls from classic Italian flavors, and I love how filling it is from the beans and potatoes.

Roasted Red Pepper & Potato White Bean Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 lb baby gold potatoes (if they’re big, cut in half or quarters)

• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into slices

• Roughly 2-3 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1/4 medium red onion, cut into thin slices

• 1 (15 oz) can white beans (I used cannellini), rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan (omit if vegan, add a pinch of salt instead)

• 1/4 cup chopped basil

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

• 1/4 cup fresh dill

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Add peppers and potatoes to a baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil (~ 1 tbsp) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until potatoes are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, and peppers are soft and just beginning to char at the ends. I ended up cooking my potatoes whole and then halving them afterward, but depending on their size, you can leave them whole or cut them before or after baking.

2. When potatoes and peppers are done cooking, set them aside to cool. Once they’ve cooled, add them to a large bowl along with the red onion, white beans, shaved Parmesan, basil, parsley, and dill. Add another drizzle of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss until everything is evenly combined, and serve.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Honey Butter Roasted Carrots with Pistachio and herbs. The perfect winter side dish, a melange of sweet and savory.

Honey Butter Roasted Carrots

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