Jan 4
2011

Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Cannellini Bean Salad Recipe

Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Cannellini Bean Salad Recipe

The holidays are always a time of abundance. Abundance of food, family, presents, and parties make the season a whole lot of fun, but often leave me in need of a good long rest. One of the downsides of all of the revelry is the accumulation of extra pounds that settles around my midriff, which is the reason I scoured the web for some of the best New Year’s Recipes for Good Health. The new year is a time for simplicity in all aspects of life, which inspires me to make quick and easy meals, such as this spinach salad topped with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and cannellini beans.

My husband and I are also intent on simplifying other aspects of our life, namely our house which seems to be in a perpetual state of disorganization. First on the list was our closet and drawers. Purging them of clothes that have not been worn for years or were on the verge of being threadbare was highly satisfying. In keeping with the theme of organization, my husband came home yesterday with a beautiful new bookcase…just for me…and my blogging dishes. As those of you who are food bloggers are well aware, this job leads to a rapid increase in the number of plates and bowls in your kitchen cupboards. It as though they breed like rabbits who dipped their twitching noses into a bucket of pheromones. Well, now my dishes have a home of their own and are ready to welcome any new additions to the tribe.

Shelves

This recipe is written for two medium-sized lunch servings, but can easily be doubled to feed more people (or to make larger portions). If you double the recipe, be sure to use a large skillet for the mushrooms so that they have a chance to brown, rather than steaming, which is what happens when they are grouped too closely.

The recipe:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until onions begin to soften, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.

MushroomBeanSalad1

Add sliced crimini mushrooms and cook until onions are light golden brown and mushrooms are just starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Add dried thyme and cannellini beans. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to burn.

MushroomBeanSalad2

Stir in balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve the mushroom mixture over a bed of fresh spinach leaves.

Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Cannellini Bean Salad Recipe LS

Other salads with mushrooms:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Wild Mushroom & Cornbread Panzanella Salad
Smitten Kitchen’s Warm Mushroom Salad with Hazelnuts
A Communal Table’s Greens with Sauteed Mushrooms, Walnuts & Gruyere Crisps

(Be sure to head to my giveaway blog for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.)

Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Cannellini Bean Salad

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly into half-circles
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves

Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook until onions begin to soften, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add sliced crimini mushrooms and cook until onions are light golden brown and mushrooms are just starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Add dried thyme and cannellini beans. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to burn.

Stir in balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve the mushroom mixture over a bed of fresh spinach leaves.

Serves 2.

Printable recipe

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{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Nancy January 4, 2011 at 6:31 am

Glad that I am not the only one who likes to clear our closets and drawers after the holidays!! The bookcase for your dishware is beautiful – I am sure you will enjoy filling it up!!
This salad sounds absolutely perfect for this time of year – have bookmarked the recipe to try! Many thanks from your fellow Mushroom Maniac for the link to my mushroom salad!

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2 Pegasuslegend January 4, 2011 at 12:26 pm

I really need to live near you and stop making fattening foods to get on track…this is perfect for the new year, I took a long walk last night and was breathless, have to shed this 10 extra pounds …looking at this I could eat it every day for sure! lovely keepum coming!

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3 tami January 4, 2011 at 1:06 pm

Some of my most favorite things all combined into one salad. This looks so delicious – bookmarking to try! :)

- tami

ps. Happy New Year!

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4 marla January 4, 2011 at 1:59 pm

This recipe is gorgeous & I love the idea of the closet purge. Now if I could just make both of these happen. You always inspire me girl :) xo

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5 Lisa (With Style and Grace) January 4, 2011 at 2:20 pm

That looks delicious! I love anything with white or butter beans.

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6 Heather (Heather's Dish) January 4, 2011 at 3:29 pm

i never would have thought to put all of these amazing, earthy flavors together…but i love it! yum!

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7 Stefania January 4, 2011 at 3:32 pm

Felice Anno Nuovo ♥
Stefania Italy
http://coolchicstyleconfidential.blogspot.com/

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8 Amelia PS January 4, 2011 at 3:52 pm

wonderful! "simplification" is a great way to approach the new year…may it be a wonderfully zen one for you!!!

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9 Mushrooms Canada January 4, 2011 at 3:55 pm

I make this all the time! Sometimes I throw in some cooked chicken breast if I have it on hand. So easy and fast!
- Brittany

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10 Paula - bell'alimento January 4, 2011 at 3:57 pm

I'm a sucker for anything with mushrooms! Happy New Year Dara!

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11 Laurie @simplyscratch January 4, 2011 at 4:11 pm

Two of my favorites… mushrooms and caramelized onions! YUM!

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12 Roxan January 4, 2011 at 4:14 pm

Getting rid of old things is so hard. I try to purge my wardrobe at least once a year. I'll go through my closet and if there is something I haven't worn in over a year (so all four seasons) I'll donate it.

This salad looks wonderful! Sometimes i have a hard time eating spinach, so I like how the mushrooms and onions are put on top while still warm to help it wilt. Yum! What a delicious and healthy meal to start off the year.

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13 Mother Rimmy January 4, 2011 at 4:14 pm

Lovely, light and healthy salad. Perfect for this time of year as many of us are looking to take off those holiday pounds. :)

Wishing you a wonderful 2011!

Kristi

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14 Liz the Chef January 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm

This goes right into my vegan-til-6:00 rotation, especially for lunch. Thanks!

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15 The Food Hunter January 4, 2011 at 4:47 pm

I can't wait to make this. I love mushrooms and cannellini beans. thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe.

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16 Emily Malloy January 4, 2011 at 5:35 pm

That looks absolutely to die for!

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17 Pretend Chef January 4, 2011 at 5:50 pm

What a great salad to add to my lunch lineup. Yummy! Wishing you a great New Year!

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18 Belinda @zomppa January 4, 2011 at 5:54 pm

You got a great plate collection. Wonderful salad – looks so much heartier and tastier than your typical salad.

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19 Cookin' Canuck January 4, 2011 at 6:15 pm

Thanks so much for all of your comments. This salad comes together very quickly and really packs a punch of vitamins and protein, not to mention flavor. It has become one of my go-to lunches.

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20 Maralyn D Hill January 4, 2011 at 6:44 pm

This looks and sounds great. I'm going to try it. Thanks.

Maralyn

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21 Delishhh January 4, 2011 at 9:50 pm

We just moved a few months back so lots of cleaning during that time. But i love your bookcase. I need to get a bookcase just for me :)

Great sallad. I am all for eating healthy now :)

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22 Kalyn January 5, 2011 at 1:38 am

Great looking recipe and yaay for the shelves for blogging dishes! You must be so happy to have that (now you can buy even more dishes!)

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23 Georgia Pellegrini January 5, 2011 at 4:39 am

Beans take on so many flavors, are so forgiving, and so flexible. If we could all only be more like beans. You also can't go wrong by adding caramelized onion to the mix.

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24 Monet January 5, 2011 at 5:57 am

Bringing simplicity into our lives is so important. I know that Ryan and I want to do a clean-out around the house too. I love your bookcase…and all of those pretty dishes! And of course, the mushrooms in this simple salad look divine. Thank you for sharing this plate of wholesome goodness. I hope you have a beautiful Hump Day!

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25 Rosemary January 5, 2011 at 12:37 pm

I had a purging myself and Goodwill is all the better for it. The bookcase is a wonderful idea!

Your blog has always been wonderful to me, but, you know, I swear, it keep getting better. You do such a wonderful job — creating, writing, photographing. Keep inspiring us!

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26 julie @ rosy + tart January 5, 2011 at 1:16 pm

What a great recipe! And surprisingly, I actually have ALL these ingredients on hand. I'll have to try it out this week.

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27 warmvanillasugar January 5, 2011 at 1:54 pm

This salad looks fabulous! It would be perfect for a dinner party :)

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28 powderate January 5, 2011 at 2:43 pm

Splendid salad and lovely shelf.

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29 megan @ whatmegansmaking January 5, 2011 at 4:08 pm

This looks so good! It doesn't help that it's almost lunch time and I'm so hungry. But all those mushrooms on that plate…I want to eat it! :)

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30 Maria January 5, 2011 at 4:58 pm

Lovely salad and congrats on the new book shelf. I love it!

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31 HollyL January 5, 2011 at 5:38 pm

Carmelized Onions!!MMMM Yes please! This looks soo great : )

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32 Tracy January 5, 2011 at 6:32 pm

Mmm, what's better than caramelized onions and mushrooms? Love this salad!

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33 Jenny January 5, 2011 at 8:49 pm

Mmmm, you always have me drooling over your recipes Dara!

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34 FoodieWifeTO January 5, 2011 at 9:02 pm

Looks great. Love the pictures. You can almost taste the dish. :)

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35 zerrin January 5, 2011 at 9:07 pm

I love your new 'dish'case:) It must be a great organizer. I need something like this too.
And the mushroom salad looks like a perfect lunch! I can have this even at breakfast with an egg.

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36 tspegar January 5, 2011 at 9:08 pm

this salad is right up my alley! delicious and stunning! i am making this … and soon! yum! happy new year to you!

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37 The Healthy Eater January 5, 2011 at 10:07 pm

Hi

I am a fellow Canuck from Calgary who just started following your blog. So far I like what I see! Looking forward to seeing more. I too have a blog – http://bigcityeater.blogspot.com/
It's pretty basic compared to yours, so I hope I can learn from you on the keyboard side.

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38 Jeanne @ CookSister January 6, 2011 at 3:56 pm

Mmm, spinach salads are my favourite. Throw in mushrooms and beans and I'm yours forever! And how great that your husband "gets" your need for props and a place to store them! I have had to fight for like 5 years to get a dedicated prop drawer :o ) He's a keeper ;)

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39 SaladPride January 10, 2011 at 6:14 pm

so lovely!
inspiring.

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40 danasfoodforthought January 11, 2011 at 9:22 pm

I love this! So easy, but so many great flavors… I'm going to try this out for lunch next week!

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41 danasfoodforthought January 17, 2011 at 5:54 pm

I brought this to work for lunch today… so flavorful and filling! I'm glad I doubled the recipe, so I have enough for the rest of the week!

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42 Lizzie in LA June 1, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Just happened upon this recipe that I believe will be wonderful tonight with pan seared scallops. Keeping the refined carbs at bay is a challenge so this will do very nicely, thanks!

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43 Dara (Cookin' Canuck) June 1, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Pan-seared scallops would be a wonderful accompaniment. You’re making me hungry! I hope you enjoy the salad.

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44 Wendy (The Local Cook) January 9, 2012 at 10:16 am

I’m a HUGE mushroom fan, this looks seriously awesome. Healthy, too!

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