Author: These marry me butter beans are rich, creamy, cozy, and oh-so-delicious! Tender butter beans are simmered in a garlicky sun-dried tomato cream sauce with Italian herbs and spinach for an easy one-pan vegan dinner that tastes restaurant-worthy. Serve with crusty bread, pasta, or rice for a comforting meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.
If you've loved my marry me tofu and marry me pasta recipes, get ready for another creamy, cozy dinner you'll want to make on repeat: Marry Me Butter Beans. If you're new to the "Marry Me" craze, the name comes from the idea that the rich, creamy sun-dried tomato sauce tastes so ridiculously good it just might inspire a proposal. Whether that's true or not, one thing's for sure… it's incredibly delicious.
Butter beans are the perfect match for this sauce. They're larger, creamier, and more tender than most beans, so they soak up every bit of that garlicky, tomatoey goodness. If you've never cooked with butter beans before, this is exactly the recipe I'd recommend starting with.
Why You'll Want to Put a Ring on These Marry Me Butter Beans
- Rich and creamy: Tender butter beans simmer in a velvety sun-dried tomato cream sauce that's perfect for scooping up with crusty bread.
- Quick and easy: Although this tastes like a restaurant-worthy date night meal, it only takes 30 minutes to come together. Perfect for weeknight dinners and even casual entertaining.
- Super satisfying: Butter beans make this recipe hearty and filling.
- So many serving options: Serve it over pasta or rice, or pair it with good crusty bread or focaccia.
Ingredients for Marry Me Butter Beans
- Olive oil: For sautéing the aromatics. Vegetable broth can be used for an oil-free version.
- Garlic and shallot: These infuse the sauce with savory flavor.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: You can use oil-packed or dry-packed; if your dry-packed tomatoes are tough, you can soak them in warm water to soften them before slicing.
- Tomato paste: Deepens the tomato flavor in the sauce and adds umami.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, chili flakes (if you'd like), salt, and pepper.
- Butter beans: Also called large lima beans. They're bigger, creamier, and more tender than many other beans, making them perfect for soaking up this rich sauce.
- Vegetable broth: I love using my vegetable broth from veggie scraps.
- Vegan heavy cream: Store-bought is just fine, but if you prefer, coconut milk or cashew cream also work.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds savory, Parmesan-like flavor without dairy.
- Spinach: An optional way to add color and some veggie goodness.
- Lemon juice: Brightens the rich sauce and balances its flavors.
- Fresh basil or vegan Parmesan: Optional finishing touches.
How to Make Marry Me Butter Beans
- Sauté the Aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Simmer the Beans: Add the butter beans and vegetable broth. Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the vegan cream and nutritional yeast. Gently simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce becomes rich and creamy.
- Finish the Dish: Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Cook for another minute or two until the spinach wilts, then season with salt and pepper.
- Serve: Top with fresh basil or vegan Parmesan and serve hot with crusty bread, pasta, rice, or your favorite grain.
Tips and Variations
- Mash a few beans: For an even thicker and creamier sauce, lightly mash a small portion of the beans directly in the skillet. This releases their starches and thickens the sauce.
- Choose an unsweetened cream: Store-bought vegan creams made from oats, cashews, or coconut all work, but make sure yours is plain and unsweetened. You don't want to add coffee creamer here!
- Watch the heat: Once the cream is added, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer rather than a rapid boil. This helps prevent it from splitting.
Serving Suggestions
Marry me butter beans are delicious:
- Scooped up with toasted crusty bread, focaccia, or garlic bread
- Served over creamy mashed potatoes
- Tossed with pasta
- Served over rice, quinoa, or couscous
- Alongside roasted broccolini or asparagus
- Scooped up with smashed potatoes
- With a simple green salad or Olive Garden Salad
- Over creamy polenta
- With zucchini fritters or Hasselback potatoes
- Alongside roasted Brussels sprouts
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover marry me butter beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of vegetable broth or plant-based milk to loosen the sauce.
You can also freeze this recipe for up to 2 months. The cream sauce may separate slightly after thawing, but stirring it as it reheats should help bring it back together.
If you try these Marry Me Butter Beans, let us know by leaving a comment and rating it. I'd love to hear what you think! Share your creation in the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Community (this is where we're all hanging out now!) or tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Marry Me Butter Beans
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes, (optional)
- 2 cans (15 oz/ 425 g each) butter beans, (or 3 cups cooked) drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup vegan heavy cream, (see notes for options)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 large handfuls spinach, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil or vegan parmesan, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes (if using). Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until fragrant.
- Simmer the beans: Add the butter beans and vegetable broth and stir well. Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the vegan cream and nutritional yeast. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. If needed, add a splash more broth or cream to loosen the sauce.Optional thickening tip: For a creamier, thicker sauce, lightly mash a small portion of the beans directly in the pan while leaving most of them whole. This also helps bring the sauce back together if it splits.
- Finish the dish: Stir in the spinach and lemon juice and cook for another minute or two until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Top with fresh basil or vegan parmesan, if desired. Serve warm with crusty bread, pasta, or rice.
Eve says
Soooo good. Whole family devoured it and added your sunflower cheese. We are all full after enjoying it with some pumpkin gnocchi.
KarenandKenzie says
Wow this dish is amazing. Grated Violife dairy free Parmesan and fresh basil on top 10/10
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
10/10!! So happy you loved it, Karen and Kenzie!
Catbird says
This was delicious! I couldn't find butter beans, so used cannellini beans.
I put it over quinoa, and I really think any grain would work here. I will make it again soon -
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yum, Catbird! So happy the cannellini beans worked well for you, and serving it over quinoa sounds delicious!
Ferial Baz says
I like this recipe and would like to try it. can it be done with fava beans instead of butter beans?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Ferial! Yes, cooked fava beans should work! 😊 They’ll have a slightly different flavour and texture than butter beans, but they should still be delicious in the creamy sauce. Hope you enjoy it!
Beatriz says
Absolutely scrumptious! We just finished dinner and I couldn’t wait to post a comment and a picture this delicious recipe. I served it with brown rice and a side of green beans. But it can easily be accompanied by a crusty bread. It’s so creamy and the flavor is everything you want. Tangy because of the lemon juice, the cream makes it so creamy and with sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste along with the nutritional yeast. It’s a blast of flavors and textures. So delicious. I made cashew cream with milk and salt cashews instead of the heavy cream it worked perfectly.. The one thing I will do next time is use a different brand of butter beans because I would have liked them to maintain their shape, they got to creamy DELICIOUS but I could hardly see them lol.. there is a brand that I buy in my grocery store and they are from Peru. we call them "Pallarés" they are large and I'm pretty sure next time they will work perfectly with Sam's recipe. so good!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Ahh I LOVE this review, Beatriz!! Your whole dinner sounds amazing, and I’m so happy the cashew cream worked perfectly! Haha, the disappearing butter beans. Thanks so much for sharing! 💚
Maren says
Really fast and easy recipe. I added a few extra sundried tomatoes (to finish off the jar) and was happy with it-- eaten with toasted sourdough bread. But it tasted even better the next day as left-overs, brightened up with a bit of lemon juice.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yum! So happy you enjoyed it, Maren!
Beatriz says
"soaked cashews".. sorry typo
Tamika Sudderth says
Delicious! My sauce was not as thick as I wanted it to be, but the taste was amazing. I didn't have lima beans, so I used Great Northern Beans. Mixed over pasta and devoured.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yum! I love that you turned it into a pasta dish! 😍 So happy you loved the flavour, Tamika!
Diane Malpass says
Yet another delicious recipe from you, thank you so much. I tweaked the recipe slightly to suit, but on the whole it was really, really tasty as is.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Diane! 😊 And I always love hearing how people tweak recipes to make them their own.
Kelsey S says
Delicious!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you loved them! 💚
Nick Shortt says
Thank you Sam, I made this today. Super creamy and tasty.I am not vegan but have been vegetarian for about 55 years. I will add this to my favourites. Regards Nick
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thank you so much, Nick! I’m thrilled you enjoyed them and that the recipe earned a spot in your favorites! 😊
Jasson says
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏. I had them with quinoa,but I will try all the suggestion because I think they all go with this mouth watering beans .Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Jasson! 😍 Quinoa sounds like a delicious pairing too. Thanks so much!