20-Minute Creamy White Beans Skillet Meal made with vegan almond cheese sauce and burst cherry tomatoes. Packed with protein, iron, and fiber to help you meet your nutrient requirements. Meal prep this healthy, easy weeknight dinner that everyone will enjoy!
This almond cheese sauce is so creamy and delicious. It transforms simple white beans into a spectacular vegan meal without the need for heavy cream. Serve this Creamy White Bean Skillet Meal on crispy whole grain toast, or with roasted potatoes, farro, or quinoa.
This skillet recipe was inspired by my Vegan Red Beans and Quinoa Rice, as well as these 7-ingredient Creamy Butter Beans and this Zucchini Lasagna (42g protein) recipe on my site. Try my Easy Creamy Miso Beans for another easy and delicious bean recipe!
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- White beans add protein, iron, and fiber to this skillet meal. Cannellini beans are higher in protein than the other white beans, but all varieties work.
- Use cherry or grape tomatoes for this recipe. They are similar in size, and cook quickly, balancing this dish with their juices. Plus, their high vitamin C content helps with absorbing the iron from the beans and greens. Halve them for quicker cooking.
- Almonds are healthy, and a good source of protein, fiber and heart healthy fats, which contribute to a feeling of fullness, and aid in digestion. Blanched almonds are almonds that have has their skins removed. This makes for a smoother sauce, but feel free to use raw almonds with their skins.
- Fortified Nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B12, and is a source of complete protein. Even more, it gives these creamy white beans an addictive cheesy taste.
- Unsulphured blackstrap molasses is a thick, dark, bittersweet robust syrup and is a by product of the sugar refining process. It is an excellent source of nutrients, especially iron. However, feel free to use maple syrup instead.
See recipe card for quantities.
🧅 Substitutions
- Red onion - use yellow onion or shallots instead as desired
- White beans - use cannellini, navy, Great Northern or pinto beans
- Nutritional yeast - substitute with tamari or soy sauce, or 1 tablespoon mellow miso dissolved in 1 ½ tablespoons water
- Almonds - use raw cashews or walnuts instead
- Chopped greens - add chopped Swiss chard, spinach, or kale for more iron and nutrients
- Hemp hearts - garnish with hemp hearts for more protein
Try my High-Protein Freezer-Friendly Veggie Wraps for a quick weeknight dinner. Visit my Vegan Bean Recipes page for more protein-packed weeknight dinner ideas.
📖 Instructions
Step 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the red onion for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Step 2. Transfer the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they break down, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water or veggie broth if the skillet becomes too dry.
Step 3. Then use the side of a spatula, or potato masher to mash the tomatoes while simmering, until a sauce forms, adding more water or broth as needed.
Step 4. Make the almond cheese sauce: Meanwhile, place the almonds, ¾ cup water, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, chipotle, cayenne, and nutritional yeast inside the canister of a blender. Blend until a smooth cream forms.
Step 5. Add the white beans, and about one-half of the almond cheese sauce to the skillet with the tomatoes. Mix to combine and cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
Step 6. Add water or veggie broth as needed, the chopped greens (if using), and more almond cream until the desired texture. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with hemp seeds as desired.
💡 Expert Tips
- For larger cherry tomatoes, cut them in half before cooking so they break down more quickly and are easier to mash. Use the side of a spatula, potato masher, or immersion blender to smash them.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining creamy white beans in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes! Store any leftovers in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave. Reheat on the stove top or microwave, adding more water or veggie broth as needed.
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Creamy White Bean Skillet Meal
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable broth
- ½ red onion small dice
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes (about 4 cups), halved
- 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (cannellini, navy, Great Northern), drained and rinsed, or 3 cups cooked
For the almond cheese sauce:
- 1 cup blanched almonds soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus more as needed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or unsulphured blackstrap molasses
Optional:
- 2 cups finely chopped Swiss chard or spinach or kale
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the red onion for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Transfer the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they break down, stirring frequently. Add a splash of water or veggie broth if the skillet becomes too dry. Then use the side of a spatula, or potato masher to mash the tomatoes while simmering, until a sauce forms, adding more water or broth as needed.
- Make the almond cheese sauce: Meanwhile, place the almonds, ¾ cup water, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, chipotle, cayenne, nutritional yeast , and maple syrup inside the canister of a blender. Blend until a smooth cream forms. Add more water as needed.
- Add the white beans, and about one-half of the almond cheese sauce to the skillet with the tomatoes. Mix to combine and cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Add water or veggie broth as needed, the chopped greens (if using), and more almond cream until the desired texture.
- Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with hemp seeds for more protein as desired.
Notes
- For larger cherry tomatoes, cut them in half before cooking so they break down more quickly and are easier to mash. Use the side of a spatula, potato masher, or immersion blender to smash them.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining creamy white beans in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Nutritional values may vary depending on factors such as product types and brands used.
Virginia says
Tasty and easy recipe. My husband and I loved it. I put in kale instead of swiss chard. I couldn't get my Nutri Bullet to wiz up the "cheese" using only the ingredients in the recipe. I had to add almost a cup of water, so then I had to up the savory ingredients in the recipe, including the hot stuff. I only used 1 tablespoon of oil and would use molasses next time, as I thought the maple syrup made it too sweet. Otherwise, this recipe in going into my favorites file. Thanks.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thanks for the tips! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. The Vitamix blends more easily but I love my Nutri Bullet too!