Creamy Tuscan Butter Beans
Today I have another quick recipe to share with you, that’s great for mid-week meals. A ‘tuscan sauce’ includes cream, garlic, Parmesan, and the all important ingredients – sun dried tomatoes. A classic is to serve it with chicken, but as we’ve slowly been reducing the amount of meat we eat I make it with butter beans, which are nice and chunky. You can serve this dish over rice or pasta, or you could serve it in bowls with some crusty bread to dip in it.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, depending on size
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes*
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- cracked black pepper
- 100g sun-dried tomatoes
- 250ml vegetable stock (or water + bouillon powder)
- 2 tins of butter beans
- 250ml cream
- 50g fresh spinach**
- 50g Parmesan
- small handful of fresh basil (optional)
* Note: I first heard of Aleppo pepper flakes on a Nigella Lawson programme, and ordered some online. It’s lasted me a while. They are made from the very mild Aleppo chilli pepper. Alternatively, you can also use chilli flakes but then only use 1/4 as they are hotter than the Aleppo pepper flakes.
** Note: Don’t let the rest of the bag of spinach fester in the vegetable drawer of your fridge until it goes off (speaking from experience…), wrap it up and stick it in the freezer, ready to make pea & spinach soup at short notice!
Directions
Melt the butter in a wide saucepan, add the smoked paprika, pepper flakes, oregano, salt and a generous cracking of black pepper and cook over a medium heat for one minute to let the flavours enfold. Mince or finely grate the garlic, and add in for another minute – garlic can burn quickly, so keep an eye on it and don’t let it get too hot!
Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, drain and rinse the tins of butter beans, and add both to the pan along with the vegetable stock. Cook on medium heat for 5 mins.
Finely chop the spinach, and add it to the pan along with the cream. Cook over a low heat until the spinach is wilted, being careful not to let the cream boil over. This should only take a couple of minutes.
Finally, roughly chop up the basil and stir in to the pan along withe the Parmesan.
Ready to serve! The flavour combination in this is just so more-ish, everyone in the family loves it!