Description
These cozy, brothy butter beans are perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot, diced small
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
- 1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, drained
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, chopped (we used a mix of parsley and basil)
- Crusty bread, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and shallot is translucent.
- Add tomatoes and red pepper flakes to skillet and stir to combine. Cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have just begun to soften.
- Add butter beans, vegetable stock, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring mixture to a simmer and cook for at least 10 minutes or until you're ready to serve. (You can let this mixture simmer for up to an hour if you need to. The longer it cooks, the softer the beans and any veggies will be. If the beans start to look dry, stir in an extra splash of veggie stock to keep them nice and brothy).
- Turn off the heat. Stir lemon juice and chopped herbs into butter beans. Taste and add salt or more lemon juice if necessary.
- Serve immediately with toasted crusty bread and your favorite side dishes.
Notes
This is a very loose recipe. Feel free to eyeball the exact ingredient amounts! Use more or less of any ingredient to suit your personal tastes. After a few tries, you'll be able to make these butter beans in your sleep.
Additions and Substitutions. This dish is very forgiving. Add any veggies you have on hand (we love corn, spinach, kale, zucchini, brussels sprouts, bell pepper, sweet potato, cauliflower, and broccoli). If you add a ton of extra veggies, you may also want to add an extra splash of stock to keep things nice and saucy. Use basil, parsley, chives, rosemary, sage, or a combo of several herbs in this recipe. Use chicken stock or parmesan broth in place of veggie stock. Read the full post above for more ideas to help you riff on this base recipe!
Side dish suggestions. This recipe makes two light servings. For a heartier meal, serve over farro or pasta and add protein or extra veggies (you can also hit the 2x or 3x buttons above to double or triple this recipe for bigger serving sizes!) Serve with plenty of crusty bread to soak up the broth, and add a quick side salad, some roasted veggies, or a bit of protein for larger servings.
No fresh veggies or herbs? Round out this recipe with frozen veggies (peas, corn, diced butternut squash, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). You can also use a teaspoon or so of dried herbs (basil, sage, and rosemary are all good) in place of fresh. Add any frozen veggies or dried herbs when you add the stock and let everything simmer until heated through.
Taste and adjust as you go! Taste and add salt as necessary to help the flavors pop. Flavor can vary dramatically depending on what vegetable stock you use here - be sure to use a veggie stock you like the taste of. Lemon juice can also vary by brand (and by lemon!): Start with 2 Tablespoons or so of lemon juice, then taste and add more if you like.
