.png)
Creamy Pesto Butter Beans
- Andrea
- Mar 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 9
White beans, homemade pesto and cabbage. A deliciously, nutrient packed meal made with simple, humble ingredients.
DOUBLE SERVING
My husband is not vegan so occasionally we have days where we cook completely separate meals. I do like these days as I normally experiment a bit with different flavours and recipes. This also means that if it's a flop at least I don't have to hear from someone else that the recipe didn't work.
Today is one of those days and tonight my husband is making himself Nigel Slaters peri-peri chicken pie and I have the pleasure of eating this whole pan full of beans! I am so happy that this turned out exactly like I had hoped.
Tonight it's probably a serving for 2, just for me.
A glass of French rose, an enormous portion of pesto beans and a slice of toasted sourdough. This is perfect!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS DISH.
This is a great dish as it's very cost effective and no skills are required to make this.
The butterbeans are really the star of the dish and are high in plant protein, loaded with fiber and a variety of nutrients.
It has so much flavour and makes a comforting meal.
Okay, let get cooking. Here is what you will need:
THE INGREDIENTS
White cabbage
White beans, such as butterbeans or cannellini beans
Fresh Basil
Pine nuts
Nutritional yeast
Lemon juice
Garlic
Olive Oil
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Chilli flakes (optional)
SHORT ON TIME
Skip making your own pesto and use a good quality store-bought pesto.
I would still suggest to blend some of the beans with the pesto, however you can also skip this step and simply use a potato masher or the back of a fork to lightly mash some of the beans. The mashed beans will help thicken the sauce and will make it also creamy.
LET'S TALK ABOUT SEASONING
Seasoning comes down to what you like. I don't like as much garlic in my pesto than probably most people do, which is why I only use 1 or 2 cloves. If you like it garlicky, feel free to add more.
Salt. I used to cook with canned beans that were only cooked in water, no salt. However, lately I have been using a UK brand called Bold Bean. Their beans come in glass jars and are cooked with salt. They are amazing! I literally eat the beans straight out of the jar. Using these beans naturally means I don't add much additional salt to the dish.
Therefor, use your own judgement and adjust seasoning to your preference.
The chilli flakes are completely optional, but highly recommended.
ALTERNATIVES
I love using butterbeans or a combination of butter and cannellinis, but you can really use any type of white bean for this.
Canned or jarred beans are of course very convenient, but you can cook some from dry.
I used a white cabbage in this, but feel free to use Savoy or pointed cabbage.
As mentioned, swap the homemade pesto for a good quality store-bought pesto. If you are vegan, make sure you use a vegan-friendly brand.
If you are making your own pesto you can replace the pine nuts with sunflower seeds or walnuts. Both options are delicious!
MORE BUTTER BEAN RECIPES TO TRY
CREAMY PESTO BUTTER BEANS
White beans, homemade pesto and cabbage. A deliciously, nutrient packed meal made with simple, humble ingredients.
SERVES 2
TIME 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
150g white cabbage, chopped
600g butter beans (liquid reserved)
half lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
Fresh or toasted sourdough, to serve (optional)
Sea salt & cracked black pepper, to taste
FOR THE PESTO
35g fresh basil leaves
1 - 2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
a generous pinch of salt
about 20 ml olive oil, or as needed
1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
INSTRUCTIONS
First make the pesto by blending the basil, garlic, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, nutritional yeast, sea salt and a good drizzle of olive oil.
Scrape down the sides as needed and blend again for another couple seconds to combine. Add more olive oil if needed.
Scoop out 1 tbsp of the pesto into a small bowl, drizzle with olive oil and set aside.
Add 100g of the white beans to the pesto (in the blender) and half the lemon juice. Blend for about 20 seconds. It doesn't have to be completely smooth. Set aside.
In a frying pan, fry the cabbage in a bit of olive oil for about 10 - 12 minutes stirring occasionally.
Once the cabbage is soft and starting to golden add the rest of the white beans, 1/2 cup of boiling water (or 1/2 cup of the liquid reserved from the beans) and the pesto bean paste. Stir to combine and add more liquid if needed.
Season with sea salt and black pepper and the remaining lemon juice. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Once ready to serve sprinkle with a few chilli flakes, the remaining pine nuts and drizzle with the remaining pesto.
Enjoy with fresh or toasted bread.
Comments