Have I ever told you that I am lazy AF? Yup. Secret is out. I. am. lazy. Why do you think I’m always making these “one pan” meals?! I ain’t got time to clean and slave in the kitchen! But I still want gourmet. So whatEVER does a girl do? You use your noggin, ha! This time around, I was invited to make something for a medium-sized baby shower. I had a rough week – with long work hours, social events, etc – so I didn’t have much time to plan. So I wanted to make something that didn’t require to much time, prep work, or money. Alas, the White Bean & Chili Charred Panzanella “Salad” was born. It’s easy to make, easy to transport, and a sure crowd pleaser. PLUS it was SO big it was even BIGGER than my head – it was HUGE! So are you looking to host or bring something to a party? This is it.

White Bean & Chili Charred Panzanella “Salad” : (serves a lot of people) 

• 4 can white cannellini beans – drained and thoroughly rinsed
• 1 large white onion – diced
• 10-12 Italian calabrian chilies packed in oil – sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic – roughly chopped
• 2 full packages/5-6 cups fresh basil leaves
• lots of olive oil
• 1 fresh lemon
• zest from half of the lemon
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 tsp regular sugar
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• basil leaves for garnishing
• 2 full loaves of white Italian bread – sliced lengthwise

1. Place a large non-stick pan, over medium-high flame. Add in about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the flame is hot, add in the onions, garlic, and sliced chilies. You want to saute this for a good 5 minutes, until onions become soft-ish and translucent. At this point, add in some salt, black pepper, and the 1 tsp of sugar. Mix to combine well. After another 5 minutes once onions are caramelized and cooked through, add in the beans. Its a lot of beans so make sure to take some time to incorporate it well into the onion-chili mixture. Add in a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Reduce flame to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes until beans are soft and JUST about getting mushy. Turn off the flame and add in a squeeze of lemon juice from a 1/4 wedge of the lemon. Set beans aside to cool.

2. While the beans cool, make the basil dressing. In a food processor/blender, add in the basil, lemon juice for about 1/2 lemon, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, a drizzle of oil from the calabrian chili jar, and about 1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil – this is meant to be a dressing, so I would pour in a generous amount. Blend until super smooth and liquidy. Taste for salt. Set aside.

3. Now the FUN. Place your burner on low and place one half of the sliced bread directly over the flame. Using tongs, keep moving the bread around – you want it to get crisp and charred, not burnt. Repeat until all the loaves are charred.

4. Place your charred loaves on a large serving platter. Top with a generous amount of the bean mixture to cover the entire loaf. Drizzle with basil dressing, top with pomegranate and fresh basil leaves. Slice into smaller pieces – almost like a bruschetta. Serve !!