Stewed Butter Beans

A ceramic dish filled with a yellow bean stew, garnished with pickled red onions and chopped herbs, sits on a light surface. A slice of bread is visible on a plate beside the dish.

A cozy, Mediterranean-inspired one-pot stew of creamy butter beans, bright lemon, white wine, and herbs (and optional sardines). Perfect for a weeknight main served with crusty bread.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Inspired

Keyword butter bean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 407kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

For the red onion parsley salad

½ cup thinly sliced red onion (use a mandolin if you have one)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, pressed
zest of half a lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp sumac
½ tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the butter beans

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 whole garlic cloves, smashed
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 small shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup finely chopped)
2 sardines packed in olive oil, drained (OPTIONAL)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp sumac
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ cup white wine
3 (14oz) cans of butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (or 3 cups hot water with 1 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock paste)
1 parmesan rind (about 3 inches long)
Serve with pieces of toasted sourdough

Instructions

Make the red onion parsley salad by combining the thinly sliced red onion, olive oil, pressed garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, sumac, salt and fresh parsley and toss to combine. Set aside.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large high-sided skillet, braiser or pot. Heat the oil over medium heat and when the oil is hot, add the smashed garlic cloves, pressed garlic, finely chopped shallots and sardines (optional). Cook for 3-4 minutes until the shallots are softened and garlic is fragrant. Use a spatula or spoon to break up the sardine into smaller pieces.
Add the lemon zest, kosher salt, ground pepper, sumac and ground turmeric, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine, letting most of the wine cook off and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the butter beans, chicken broth and parmesan rind and stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, keep at a simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes with the lid mostly on, until the beans are very tender and creamy. Make sure to stir occasionally to make sure the parmesan rind doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Serve in bowls topped with the red onion parsley salad and pieces of toasted sourdough.

Notes

The soft bones in canned sardines are safe to eat so if using in this recipe, add the sardines as-is, cook and break up in the spatula/spoon as the recipe indicated. It's optional to add these to the recipe so add or omit them according to your tastes.
If you can't find butter beans, Cannellini beans are a great alternative.
If you love this recipe, try our Creamy Tomato Butter Beans

Nutrition