Creamy Butter Beans Recipe
10-Minute, 7-ingredient Creamy Butter Beans made without butter or cream! Healthy, vegan, and tasty. Serve on toast for a quick budget-friendly, protein-rich lunch or dinner.
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 148kcal
Ingredients
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic sliced
- ½ pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can butter beans drained, reserving can liquid (or use ½ cup vegetable broth)
- 2 tablespoons hummus
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus more to taste
- 2 cups baby spinach or baby kale
- Zest of one-half lemon
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or to taste (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, and crushed red pepper, and cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add ¼ cup bean liquid or vegetable broth and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 3 minutes more, while smashing the tomatoes to release their juice. Add more bean liquid or vegetable broth as needed until the desired consistency.
- Add the hummus, and lemon juice, and stir to combine.
- Mix in the spinach and beans. Cook until the spinach is just wilted. Add water or vegetable broth as needed until the desired texture.
- Add lemon zest, and maple syrup, if using. Season with salt, and pepper, and adjust lemon juice to taste.
Notes
- Drain the beans and reserve the liquid from the can. The beans are added at the end of the cooking process so they don't get mushy.
- Use fresh lima beans instead as desired, and cook them beforehand. Substitute the can liquid in the recipe with vegetable broth. Note: This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups cooked beans, which is about one-half cup dry beans.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining Creamy Butter Beans in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan or microwave, adding vegetable broth as needed for the desired consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2314IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 4mg
