Pesto White Fish With Greens and Beans

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated January 27, 2026

  • Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
30 min
Rating
5(203)
Comments
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This easy sheet-pan dinner brings together white fish, beans and greens in a single tray for a meal that’s fresh, bright and satisfying. The pesto coats both the fish and the beans, infusing everything with herby richness, while collard greens soften just enough in the oven to become tender but still hold their shape. A layer of garlicky bread crumbs on top turns golden as it bakes, adding a crisp contrast that balances the soft fish beneath. The beauty of this dish is that everything happens together on one pan: The fish steams gently over the beans, the greens soak up the juices and the oven does all the work. It’s the kind of dinner that feels almost too easy for how good it tastes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the fish

  • ⅓ cup basil pesto, or another pesto of your choice

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 

  • 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve

  • 1 bunch collard greens (about ½ pound), thick stems removed, leaves rolled crosswise and sliced into ½-inch-thick ribbons 

  • 1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and liquid reserved

  • 4 (5- to 7-ounce) white fish fillets (such as cod, haddock or hake)

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning 

For the bread crumbs

  • ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced 

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

32 grams carbs; 75 milligrams cholesterol; 462 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 902 milligrams sodium; 41 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the fish: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely grate the zest of the lemon into a medium bowl (reserve the zested lemon). Add the pesto and olive oil and stir to combine. 

    1. Step 2

      To a large sheet pan, add the collard greens, drained beans, half the pesto mixture, ¼ cup reserved bean liquid, and salt. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze in 2 tablespoons of juice. Use your hands or two large spoons to combine and spread in an even layer. 

    1. Step 3

      Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Season lightly with salt on all sides and use your hands to coat the fillets with the remaining pesto mixture. Arrange the fish fillets on top of the vegetable mixture. 

    1. Step 4

      Prepare the bread crumbs: In a small bowl, mix together the panko, garlic, olive oil and salt. Use your hands or a large tablespoon to coat the top of the fish fillets with the bread crumbs, pressing the crumbs down so they stick onto the fish. 

    1. Step 5

      Bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, the greens are tender and the panko topping is golden, 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.  

    1. Step 6

      Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
203 user ratings
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Comments

John

We substituted broccolini for the collard greens, blanching the spears first so they would be tender after baking. Delicious!

sf cook

Great blend of flavors and textures. Will certainly make again. Didn’t have collard greens so substituted with fresh spinach, which worked well.

Erin S

Made this tonight as written, except before starting the recipe thinly sliced a few potatoes along with an onion. Tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted for 15 minutes. Put the greens, beans and fish on top of the potatoes. And cooked as directed, delicious!

Lisa

This was soooooo good. We used tilapia for the fish and arugula, because that’s the greens we had on hand. Added some rice as a side too. Great, great meal. Highly recommend and easy.

Deborah

This is in the top 10’of my favourite meals. I had a surprise when I opened what I thought was fish I had frozen and found chicken breast. I cut the thickness in half and then cut into more narrow slices so it would cook quickly. I make this always in my toaster oven; had all the energy that it takes to heat up an oven. This is delicious with chicken. I always use at least a cup of homemade pesto. Used spinach, pressure cook the beans and don’t have extra liquid. Always perfect and addictive

Susan R

Have been making this on repeat the last few months, always with dino kale. Occasionally find the beans and greens to be a bit on the dry side (is it just me?). Last night I upped the oil slightly (my pesto was pretty thick) and forgot to stir and flip part way thru as I usually do. That was the trick! The top had crunchy / charred bits while the underneath stayed moist and overall this gave me a looser, creamier batch.

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