Crostini with mushrooms and cannellini beans: the recipe for an autumn dinner

There are dinners that start with a piece of bread and end there, in the best way. These crostini come from three ingredients that easily come together in autumn: mushrooms, cannellini beans, and rustic bread. You don't need to add much else, as long as each element has the right texture: toasted bread, well-browned mushrooms, and soft cannellini beans.

Time: about 30 minutes · Servings: 4 people · Difficulty: easy · Type: vegetarian.

Ingredients

• 8 slices of rustic bread, about 1.5 cm thick
• 400 g mixed fresh mushrooms or button mushrooms
• 300 g cooked cannellini beans, drained
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small sprig of rosemary
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus some for serving
• 80–100 ml hot water or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, optional
• Salt and black pepper
• Fresh parsley, if desired

1. Prepare the cannellini beans

Heat a tablespoon of oil with one crushed garlic clove and the rosemary. Add the rinsed cannellini beans and two or three tablespoons of hot water. Let them simmer over low heat for five minutes. Remove the garlic and rosemary, then mash about two-thirds of the beans with a fork. There is no need to achieve a smooth cream: a few whole beans make the filling more interesting. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust the consistency by adding a little water at a time.

2. Brown the mushrooms without boiling them

Clean the mushrooms with a slightly damp cloth, remove the earthy ends, and cut them into slices that are not too thin. Heat a large pan well: if it is small, cook them in two batches. Add the oil and the mushrooms, leaving them in contact with the bottom for a couple of minutes before stirring. The surface should brown. Only towards the end add the other garlic clove, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes until the moisture has evaporated.

3. Toast the bread

Toast the slices on a griddle, in a pan, or in a hot oven. They should become golden on the outside while retaining some softness on the inside. If you like, lightly rub the surface with a garlic clove. Avoid immediately soaking the bread with too much oil: the cannellini cream will soften it just right.

4. Assemble and serve

Spread a generous layer of warm cannellini cream on each slice, distribute the mushrooms, and finish with a drizzle of raw oil. Add chopped parsley and, if a contrast is needed, a few drops of lemon juice. Serve immediately: this is when the bread is still crispy and the topping is hot.

Three mistakes to avoid

Overcrowded pan: the mushrooms will release liquid and boil instead of browning. Cream that is too dry: the beans must be spreadable without breaking the bread. Crostini prepared in advance: the bread absorbs the moisture and loses its crispness. You can prepare the mushrooms and cannellini beans ahead of time, but assemble them at the last minute.

Useful variations

For a more intense result, you can add a small amount of previously rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms, using some of their filtered water in the cannellini beans. For a complete dinner, serve the crostini with a simply dressed radicchio salad. If you use dried beans, calculate the soaking and cooking time separately: the 30 minutes indicated apply to already prepared cannellini beans.

It is a recipe to make again by changing the bread and mushrooms according to the season. The principle remains the same: a crispy base, something soft, and a well-browned ingredient. Sometimes, for a good dinner, this really is enough.