These 'marry me' butter beans are made with ready-cooked beans served in a light and creamy, garlicky sun-dried tomato sauce with spinach for an easy, delicious vegetarian main or side. This simple dish requires a handful of ingredients and comes together in under 20 minutes!
These 'marry me' butter beans are a vegetarian version of popular creamy sun-dried tomato chicken. Butter beans, with their 'meaty', creamy texture and mild flavour make a great vegetarian alternative to chicken. And if you use the ready-cooked canned variety, as I have done, this dish takes just minutes to assemble. Simply sautee some onion, add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, create a creamy sauce then add the beans and serve (see details below)!
I based this creamy butter bean recipe on my low-fat 'marry me' chicken, which is made using a combination of stock, half-and-half and cottage cheese. In this recipe I used the stock and low-fat cream but replaced the cottage cheese with cream cheese. The sun-dried tomato sauce is sweet and savoury but also slightly tangy, the perfect accompaniment for mild tasting, nutty butter beans. I also used fresh spinach for added colour and texture.
One generous serving of my healthier 'marry me' beans contains about 240 calories, 13 grams of protein and only 7 grams of fat.
'Marry me' butter beans ingredients and substitutions
- Butter beans: this is the best white bean variety to use in this dish. I don't recommend using smaller beans.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: in oil.
- Red onion: you can use any. Shallots make a good alternative.
- Garlic.
- Oil: I used the sundried tomato oil, but you can use olive oil, instead.
- Flour.
- Stock: vegetable or chicken.
- Half-and-half: or single cream.
- Cream cheese: adds more complexity, gentle acidity and helps thicken the sauce. Don't skip it!
- Spinach: I recommend fresh rather than frozen.
- Salt and pepper.
- Basil.
- Pepper flakes.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1. Drain beans: Strain then rinse the beans and set aside in a strainer to drain thoroughly.
2. Sautee onion: Heat the oil, add the onion and cook over a low/medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened stirring often.
3. Add sundried tomatoes: Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir until it's no longer visible.
4. Make sauce: Pour in the stock and continue cooking until the mixture starts to thicken, then stir in the half-and-half and cream cheese.
5. Add beans: Add the beans and cook for another minute or so just to heat through.
6. Add spinach: Stir in the spinach, cover and simmer only until it's wilted. Remove from the heat.
7. Serve: Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed, scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, sprinkle red pepper flakes, top with a little parmesan (optional) and serve.
Serving suggestions
These vegetarian 'marry me' beans with spinach can be served as a main meal alongside crusty bread, pasta, quinoa, pearl barley or roasted vegetables. They also make a great side dish, perfect with chicken (including leftover rotisseries chicken) or pork.
How to make vegan creamy butter beans
Making a vegan version of creamy sun-dried tomato butter beans is easy. Simply use plant cream (such as soya based) or coconut cream instead of regular as well as dairy-free cream cheese. Omit the parmesan and use nutritional yeast, instead (as an option).
Top tips
- Drain the butter beans thoroughly before adding into the sauce.
- Ensure both the cream cheese and half-and-half are at room temperature.
- Ensure the spinach is dry before adding into the pan.
- Best served immediately.
- Leftover sun-dried tomato butter beans can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken as it cools so you may need to add a splash of water/stock after reheating it (don't forget to also adjust the flavour).
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
More butter bean recipes to try next
- High Protein Eggplant Casserole with Beans
- Root Vegetable Stew with Beans (Polish-Style)
- Mediterranean Butternut Squash Casserole (Vegan)
More creamy vegetarian dishes to try next
See also these other easy, delicious vegetarian meal ideas including a collection of vegetarian pasta meals!
Recipe
'Marry Me' Butter Beans with Spinach (No Heavy Cream)
Equipment
- Large pan
Ingredients
- 2 cans butter beans 14.11 oz each
- 7 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, finely chopped, 75-85g
- 1 tablespoon oil sun-dried tomato or olive oil
- 1 med. red onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1½ tablespoons flour
- 1¾ cups (400 ml) vegetable stock hot
- ¼ cup (60 ml) half-and-half or single cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese at room temperature
- 3.53 ounces (100 g) baby spinach chopped
- 1 teaspoon pepper flakes
- fresh basil and, optionally, parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Drain beans: Strain then rinse the beans and set aside in a strainer to drain thoroughly.
- Sautee onion: Heat the oil, add the onion and cook over a low/medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened stirring often.
- Add sundried tomatoes: Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes.
- Make sauce: Add the flour and stir until it's no longer visible then pour in the stock. Continue cooking until the mixture starts to thicken, then stir in the half-and-half and cream cheese.
- Add beans: Add the beans and cook for another minute or so just to heat through.
- Add spinach: Stir in the spinach, cover and simmer only until it's wilted. Remove from the heat.
- Serve: Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed, scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, sprinkle red pepper flakes, top with a little parmesan (optional) and serve.
Notes
- Drain the butter beans thoroughly before adding into the sauce.
- Ensure both the cream cheese and half-and-half are at room temperature.
- Ensure the spinach is dry before adding into the pan.
- Best served immediately.
- Leftover sun-dried tomato butter beans can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken as it cools so you may need to add a splash of water/stock after reheating it (don't forget to also adjust the flavour).
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch!
If you make these low-fat 'marry me' butter beans I'd love to know how they turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)
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Silvana says
This looks delicious but would you clarify needed amount of sundried tomatoes, as in how much of them in weight or in a cup as I am not clear if you mean whole sundried tomatoes, or pieces. Thank you. I have made several of your vegetarian recipes and love them!
Monika says
Hi Silvana, sorry this wasn't clear, you'll need about 75-85g of sundried tomatoes, drained. I've included this in the recipe card now. Thanks!
Silvana says
Thank you kindly for your reply. I will make this today; I happen to have all the ingredients right now!
Monika says
You are welcome, hope you enjoy it:)