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With a bit of tang and a bit of richness, these fennel-braised butter beans are a quick and easy weeknight dinner. It’s ready in 20 minutes, but looks fancy enough to be served at any 5-star restaurant!
save this recipe!Anything that’s quick and easy but looks and feels impressive is what I’m all about. Fennel is one of the quickest ways to elevate any dish, including the humble butter bean.
This easy vegetarian dinner is super creamy but packed with protein and fiber, so when you serve it with some crispy bread, it truly is the best “lazy” dinner.
your new vegetarian comfort food dinner
- Quick: There’s no cooking of any animal proteins, so this recipe is quick to whip up! But don’t forget, beans have a lot of protein, making this a high-protein vegetarian dinner!
- Flavorful: With a touch of vinegar, this dish balances the savory, creamy, and acidic flavors that really make a dish sing!
- Versatile: I love this with just some crispy bread, but it’s also tasty over whipped feta or with rice.
the key players
Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fennel, Onion, and Garlic: Fennel has a bit of a licorice flavor. If you’re looking for it in the store, it looks like an onion with dill on top. It shouldn’t be far from the onions and garlic, which you’ll need too!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These little flavor morsels are packed with so much sweetness, perfect for these Mediterranean butter beans! We tested it with both ones packed in oil and ones that are packaged dry, and both work well.
- Spices: With so many other powerful ingredients, we only need salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes for seasoning.
- Butter Beans: I prefer to use the canned version of these because they are quick and convenient. Butter beans are very creamy, so if you need a substitute, look for a similar one to make braised white beans with, like Great Northern Beans or cannellini beans.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Brightens the whole dish and keeps it from feeling too heavy.
- Cream Cheese & Parmesan: Melts into a velvety sauce. Full fat cream cheese gives the best texture.
too acidic?
The apple cider vinegar is here to help cut through the richness of the cream cheese. But, if you are serving this creamy vegetarian bean stew to kids or picky eaters, use only 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to reduce the tang.
the key to the perfect sauce
The sauce can be thin at first. To fix this, just keep simmering even after adding the cream cheese. Once it’s thickened, then add the parmesan. Freshly grated if possible!
more ways to enjoy butter beans
Crispy Roasted Tahini Butter Beans
35 minutes
Garlic Parmesan Butter Beans
20 minutes
Creamy Lemon Pepper Butter Beans Skillet
20 minutes
Fennel Braised Butter Beans
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
- 1 small bulb fennel, cored and sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, roughly chopped
- ¼ tsp each salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 15-oz cans butter beans, drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth, 473 mL
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 60 mL
- ½ cup cream cheese, 115 g
- ½ cup grated parmesan, 60 g
Instructions
- Flavor Base: In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1 small bulb fennel (sliced), 1 medium yellow onion (diced), and 4 cloves garlic (minced). Cook until onion is soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.Stir in ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped) and ¼ tsp each salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
- Simmer: Stir in 2 15-oz cans butter beans, 2 cups vegetable broth, and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Finish: Remove from heat, then stir in ½ cup cream cheese until melted, finishing with ½ cup grated parmesan before serving with crusty bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
