Chorizo and White Bean Toasts with Wilted Spinach
Crispy crusty bread piled with smoky chorizo, creamy butter beans and tomatoes cooked down into a rich, savory topping, finished with wilted spinach. A fast, high-protein open sandwich that eats like a full meal.
- Total
- 18 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 13
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Rendering fat · Simmering
- Savory
- Quick
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven grill to high. Slice the chorizo into 1 cm rounds and drain the butter beans and canned tomatoes. Arrange the 4 slices of crusty bread on a baking tray.
~4 min
Grilling bread at high heat quickly dehydrates the surface, creating a crisp crust while keeping the interior soft.
-
While the grill heats, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the bread slices and toast them under the grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden. Watch closely so they do not burn.
~4 min
-
Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo rounds and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the edges are browned and the fat has rendered out.
~4 min
Rendering the chorizo fat over medium-high heat browns the meat and releases flavorful fat that will season the beans and tomatoes.
Rendering fat Cook chorizo over medium-high heat until the fat renders and the edges brown; avoid crowding the pan so the meat browns instead of steaming.
-
Add the drained butter beans and canned tomatoes to the pan with the chorizo. Season with 0.25 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, pressing some beans with the spoon, until the tomatoes thicken into a coating sauce.
~5 min
Simmering allows the tomatoes to reduce and thicken, while pressing some beans releases starch that helps the sauce cling to the toast.
Press about a third of the butter beans against the pan with the back of your spoon as they simmer. The released starch thickens the tomato juices so the topping sits on the toast instead of soaking it.
Simmering Simmer the tomatoes and beans gently, pressing some beans to release starch; the sauce is ready when it thickens and coats the spoon.
-
Stir the spinach into the pan in handfuls and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just wilted and dark green. Taste and adjust the salt.
~2 min
Wilt the spinach briefly so it keeps its bright color and doesn't turn mushy.
-
Spoon the chorizo, bean and spinach mixture generously over the toasted bread slices. Serve immediately while the bread is still crisp.
~1 min