Traditional Butter Beans Recipe – The Large Man’s World ®


This simple butter beans recipe is ideal for gentle meatless dinners, meal prep, or as a protein-packed aspect dish. All the pieces is made in only one skillet and it wants little or no prep.

bowl of butter beans with fresh herbs on top.

Beans are usually a type of meals you both love or detest. Nonetheless, this butter bean recipe is bound to show even essentially the most devoted bean skeptic into a real bean believer! 

I used to be impressed to experiment with butter beans after wanting to alter up my household’s common dinner sides of nice northern beans or baked beans with floor beef.

On this recipe, creamy butter beans are the star of the present. They’re simmered in a tasty veggie broth with fragrant greens and traditional Italian seasonings, soaking in essentially the most comforting and nourishing flavors you’ll be able to think about. Pair it along with your favourite protein or some crusty bread for a well-rounded meal.

Desk of Contents
  1. Recipe Highlights
  2. Elements wanted
  3. The way to cook dinner butter beans
  4. Recipe suggestions and variations
  5. Storage directions
  6. Often requested questions 
  7. Extra wholesome recipes with beans
  8. Traditional Butter Beans Recipe (Recipe Card)

Recipe Highlights

  • Easy but flavorful. All the pieces is made in a single pot, and it wants little or no hands-on time.
  • Nourishing and vegan. The brief record of nourishing complete meals packs this naturally vegan recipe with plant-based protein and fiber to maintain you full for hours.
  • Price range-friendly. I purposely stored the substances on this butter bean recipe budget-friendly to provide you a break! Better of all, it makes sufficient on your weekly meal prep or to feed the entire household. 

Elements wanted

Beans, aromatics, and a few flavorful veg make up every thing to make this dish. Here’s what you’ll want:

  • Olive oil. To sauté the aromatics. 
  • Aromatics. A mix of onion, carrot, inexperienced bell pepper, and garlic cloves takes this easy dish from good to nice!
  • Butter beans. For this recipe, I used recent butter beans, that are quite a lot of lima beans. Dried lima beans additionally work nicely, however they must be soaked in a single day. You technically can use canned butter beans, however solely add them on the finish of the cooking course of, or else they’ll disintegrate into the broth.
  • Italian seasoning. I used store-bought Italian seasoning to maintain this recipe simple. Be happy to make your personal with dried oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. 
  • Salt and pepper. To style. 
  • Vegetable broth. The beans simmer within the broth, serving to them soften and soak up taste. 

Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.

The way to cook dinner butter beans

Step 1 – Sauté the aromatics. Sauté the onions in a sizzling oiled skillet till translucent. Subsequent, add the carrots and inexperienced bell pepper and cook dinner till they begin to soften. Lastly, add the garlic and cook dinner till aromatic. 

vegetables in pot.

Step 2 – Add beans and spices. Stir the beans, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into the skillet.

butter beans, vegetables, and seasonings in pot.

Step 3 – Simmer. Pour within the vegetable broth and produce to a simmer. Cut back the warmth, cowl, and let simmer till the beans are fork-tender. 

butter beans with broth in pot.

Step 4 – Season to style, then serve. Give the beans a style, alter the seasonings if wanted, and revel in!

butter beans on sourdough bread.

What to serve with this dish

The gentle and creamy nature of butter beans makes them tremendous versatile. I wish to serve them alongside crusty bread to take in the flavorful broth or as a aspect dish for meat dishes, resembling grilled hen thighs, 3-2-1 ribs, or sirloin tip roast. It’s also possible to serve these beans with rice or quinoa to soak up their scrumptious flavors. 

Recipe suggestions and variations

  • Recent vs. dried beans. I examined this recipe with younger, recent butter beans, which, in my view, have the perfect style and texture. You should utilize dried butter beans as nicely however they must be soaked in a single day.
  • Rinse them nicely. No matter whether or not you utilize recent or dried beans, rinse them beneath chilly water to take away any particles earlier than cooking. 
  • Don’t overcook the beans. Beans change into mushy after they’re overcooked, so control your skillet! You’re aiming for a young but barely agency texture.
  • Play with the flavors. I like to provide this bean dish a refreshing hit of acidity with a splash of lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or white wine.
  • Flip it right into a salad. After cooking the beans, be happy to toss them with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pink onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and recent oregano for a refreshing Mediterranean-inspired bean salad. Or, swap the chickpeas in my Jennifer Aniston salad for them.
  • Meat is welcome. Swap the vegetable broth for hen broth or add pre-cooked smoked meat, like pastrami, turkey pastrami, bacon, pancetta, prosciutto, or smoked ham, over the last 5 minutes of cooking.
  • End with recent herbs. Take this dish up a notch with a garnish of freshly chopped parsley or chives!

Storage directions

To retailer: Let the leftover butter beans cool to room temperature earlier than storing them in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

To freeze: As soon as cool, switch the beans to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3 to 4 months.

Reheating: Gently reheat the beans within the microwave or a skillet over medium-low warmth with a splash of vegetable broth.

butter beans.

Often requested questions 

Do you must soak recent butter beans earlier than cooking?

No, you don’t must soak recent butter beans earlier than cooking. Nonetheless, briefly blanching them in boiling water can tenderize the beans whereas sustaining their vibrant colour. After blanching, give the beans a very good rinse, they usually’re able to be loved.

What can I exploit as an alternative of butter beans on this recipe?

Any sort of bean with an identical texture and taste will work right here, like nice Northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans. Chickpeas additionally work nicely, regardless of their barely nuttier style.

Extra wholesome recipes with beans

Stop your display from going darkish

  • In a big skillet or saucepan, warmth olive oil over medium warmth. Add the chopped onion and cook dinner till it turns into translucent. Add the diced carrot and inexperienced bell pepper and sauté for a couple of minutes till the greens soften. Stir within the minced garlic and cook dinner for a further 1-2 minutes till aromatic.

  • Add the butter beans, adopted by the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to mix the substances. Pour within the vegetable broth and produce the combination to a simmer.

  • Cut back the warmth to low, cowl the skillet with a lid, and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or till the recent butter beans are tender. 

  • Style and alter the seasoning if wanted, then serve. 

TO STORE. Let the leftover butter beans cool to room temperature earlier than storing them in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. TO FREEZE. As soon as cool, switch the beans to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3 to 4 months. TO REHEAT. Gently reheat the beans within the microwave or a skillet over medium-low warmth with a splash of vegetable broth.

Serving: 1servingEnergy: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 20gFats: 8gSodium: 1083mgPotassium: 1207mgFiber: 16gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 6428IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 5mgNET CARBS: 28g

Disclosure: This put up could comprise affiliate hyperlinks. I’ll earn a small fee for my endorsement, advice, testimonial, and/or hyperlink to any services or products from this web site.



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