Flageolet Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Leeks

Hold up. The squashes have been stored but I have not forgotten about the lovely end of summer vegetables.

Thankfully, the frost is still at bay and I continue to harvest green beans. My greens (kale and collards) will only improve after a frost, so I am letting them continue to grow before I harvest them. Rob is planning a kale chip-a-thon once we do a mass harvest. The dehydrator will be baking up a storm!

I didn’t grow tomatoes this year and my dill died, but my aunt and Rob’s parents had much better success than me. Last weekend, they graciously shared with me some of the garden bounty: fresh, ripe (local and organic!) tomatoes and dill. This was my salad the following week and I was happy as a peach.

It is such a simple salad, but capitalizes on summer’s fresh bounty. You could even whip this one out in the middle of winter with green-house tomatoes and nobody would be the wiser. Roasting the tomatoes, leeks and garlic makes a delicious base for this salad. Coated in a touch of coconut oil, it permeates into the juicy tomatoes and silky leeks. I combined them with flageolet beans, perfect for salads with their creamy texture yet firm shape. No need for a dressing, the vegetable juices embrace the beans. Dust with dill, if you wish, for a delicious twist. Divine as a warm salad from the oven, this was just as nice as a cold salad as leftovers.  I served my bean salad overtop salad greens.

Flageolet beans are one of my favourite beans and I held onto the last of my batch until this salad. I also recommend using them in this warm bean salad with leeks in a mustard dressing as well as this warm bean and carrot salad with dill. With less time in the kitchen, I may try Gena’s recipe next time I get some leeks. Don’t have flageolet beans? Try this with any small white bean, including white kidney beans.

This is my submission to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays, to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Cristina, and to this month’s Bookmarked Recipes.

Flageolet Bean Salad with Roasted Tomatoes and Leeks
Adapted from The Alkaline Sisters

1 cup dried flageolet beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
2.5 cups vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 dry pint)
1 leek, cut longitudinally, then sliced in half-moons
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp coconut oil
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

1-2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
8 cups baby spinach or mixed baby greens

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Drain soaked beans and rinse well. Combine rinsed flageolet beans, broth and garlic cloves in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender, this was around 80 minutes for me, but start checking after an hour. Once at their desired consistency, remove garlic cloves. Drain beans and set aside to cool. (Save that liquid you just drained, it would be a fabulous vegetable broth).

3. Meanwhile, toss together tomatoes, sliced leek, and sliced garlic in a large roasting pan (I used a 9×13 glass dish lined with a silpat). Dot with 1 tbsp coconut oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place dish in oven to allow the coconut oil to melt (~5 minutes) and toss to coat. Roast for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the some tomatoes break apart and the leeks have softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4. Combine cooked beans and roasted vegetables (including all the juices!) in a small bowl. Sprinkle with dill. Season to taste. Plate overtop baby greens.

Serves 4.