I came up with this recipe after eating a lot of meals out during New Years '24 - we didn't have much fresh in the fridge and wanted something healthy and nourishing. As a bonus, it's vegan (if you omit the feta) and completely healthy!
I like to serve this with a rustic loaf of bread topped with feta cheese and fresh chilli. This recipe is versatile and is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Canned beans are very versatile and convenient, and I always have a variety of both canned and dried beans in my pantry. You can use a variety of different beans in this dish which I explain under using other beans.
Spiced Butter Beans ingredients
- Canned butter beans - also known as 'lima' beans, this versatile bean is used in many different dishes from soups to stews to Greek Baked Beans "Gigantes Plaki". The size varies but they are generally eaten as a larger bean. They have a creamy texture and slight buttery flavour. Most good supermarkets will carry this bean, but if you have trouble locating them you can substitute it with another bean variety. We use canned for convenience, but you can substitute dried beans if you prefer.
- Extra virgin olive oil - this is a key flavour of the dish, so use the best quality you can afford.
- Stock - we don't need much, use a stock cube or powder if you prefer.
- Spiced with cumin seeds, (ground) coriander powder and smoked paprika.
- Aleppo pepper - also known as 'pul biber', this can be a little tricky to find. It's a mild chilli powder that has a little sweetness and tang; if you can't find it, substitute for sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne.
- Aromatics are bought by scallions and parsley.
- Red wine vinegar for some acidity. Substitute for white wine vinegar or lemon juice if you prefer.
- Feta cheese and fresh, thinly sliced red chilli to serve on top of a slice of toasted rustic bread.
How to make Spiced Butter Beans
Bloom spices - add the EVOO to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the cumin, coriander powder, smoked paprika and Aleppo pepper. Stir occasionally for about a minute until the spices are toasted.
Add butter beans and stir well to combine with the spices.
Add stock and increase temperature to medium high. Allow the stock to gently simmer and stick occasionally to ensure that everything is well combined.
Add aromatics - when the stock has mostly reduced and has left a sauce, remove the skillet from the heat. Stir through the scallions, parsley leaves and red wine vinegar.
Serve with toasted crusty bread. Distribute the beans and sauce amongst the toast and then top with feta cheese and chilli.
Tips
- If you can't find Aleppo pepper, which is also known as 'pul biber', you can substitute it with sweet paprika and a pinch of cayenne.
What to serve with Spiced Butter Beans
I like to serve this with a slice or so of toasted rustic sourdough, and top it with some sliced chilli and feta cheese.
The beans are also great by themselves, which was how I had them when I first made them!
If you want to bulk it out a bit, you could serve it with rice, cous cous, quinoa or even pasta.
Using other beans
If you have trouble finding butter beans, the other bean variety I'd suggest is cannellini beans. Texturally, they're the closest match to butter beans and have a similar creamy texture.
Using dried beans
You can use dried butter beans or cannellini beans for this recipe. For the default recipe quantity, you'll need to soak about 300g of beans.
- Soak beans overnight, or for a minimum of 8 hours.
- Drain and rinse beans. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
- Cook - butter beans for about 45-60 minutes, cannellini beans will take longer - around 90 minutes.
While you're cooking the beans, add water as required to ensure they remain covered. Periodically check them for doneness - the times above are a guide because it will vary based on the age and condition of your beans.
Add your own touch
- Adding your own spices - add your favourite spices to put your own touch on it.
- Use garlic and onion in place of the scallions
- Serve with pasta and finish the pasta in the pan with the beans. You'll need a little more stock but it will make a nice and saucy pasta dish.
Spiced Butter Beans
| Prep | Cook | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mins | 10 mins | 15 mins |
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds use powder if you prefer
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper aka 'pul biber', substitute with sweet paprika if you can't find it - see note 1
- 2x 400g cans of butter beans aka 'lima beans', you can also use dried - see note 2
- 200ml vegetable stock from powder or cube is fine, or just use water
- 3 scallions, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp parsley leaves, finely sliced
- 60ml (1/4 cup) red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Thick sliced sourdough or rustic bread, toasted
- Feta cheese
- Red chilli, thinly sliced
- Bloom spices - add the EVOO to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the cumin, coriander powder, smoked paprika and Aleppo pepper. Stir occasionally for about a minute until the spices are toasted.
- Add butter beans and stir well to combine with the spices.
- Add stock and increase temperature to medium high. Allow the stock to gently simmer and stick occasionally to ensure that everything is well combined.
- Add aromatics - when the stock has mostly reduced and has left a sauce, remove the skillet from the heat. Stir through the scallions, parsley leaves and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with toasted crusty bread. Divide the beans and sauce amongst the toast and then top with feta cheese and chilli.
- Aleppo pepper is also known as pul bibier and is a slightly sweet and tangy chilli that is fairly mild in heat. If you can't find it, substitute with sweet paprika and add a pinch of cayenne to taste.
- Butter beans - if you can't find butter beans, use canned cannellini beans. If you want to use dried beans, you'll need to cook approx. 300g of dried cannellini or butter beans - you'll need around 500g of cooked beans for this recipe.
- Serving suggestion uses bread, but feel free to substitute with a grain like rice or quinoa. Pasta also works well. The beans are also great by themselves!
