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You’ll be amazed at how much flavor this recipe creates in just 15 minutes. With creamy butter beans and our famous Tuscan sauce, these Marry Me Butter Beans are the perfect quick comfort food!
Make it a Tuscan-themed dinner with other Italian recipes like Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks and a Hugo Cocktail!
save this recipe!Have you ever heard of Marry Me Chicken? It’s this amazing Tuscan-inspired dish with sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and basil that’s so good people will want to marry the chef who made it!
I’ve wanted to make a vegetarian version for a while so I started with Marry Me Chickpeas and millions of viewers LOVED it on social media. With such a positive response, I knew I needed to make some new variations – first up these Marry Me Butter Beans.
I chose to use butter beans because they are larger than some other types of beans which helps add substance to this dish that chicken would otherwise add. And using my nutritionist hat, they’re also super high in protein and fiber making them a great carbohydrate choice. So before you want to propose to me, let me show you how to make these Marry Me Butter Beans!
Your new favorite dinner
- Quick to make thanks to canned beans and flavor-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
- Made in one pot, unlike its chicken counterpart, which would need to cook the chicken separately. One pot means less mess and fewer dishes—big win!
Reader rating
Ingredients for marry me butter beans
This butter beans recipe only requires a few ingredients, one in particular that really shines. Sun-dried tomato is the secret little ingredient in Marry Me dishes. They add a super unique and special sweetness and flavor that brightens the whole dish in a way only tomatoes dried in the sun can!
- Butter: Yes, you still need butter even though we are using butter beans. Grab some unsalted butter or margarine for a vegan version.
- Garlic: Some say garlic is an aphrodisiac… It’s probably because your love still wants to propose even with your garlic breath.
- Seasonings: Salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper come together for a flavor song that will get that happy food dance going.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: This is the ingredient I was talking about!! They are a staple of Tuscan dishes because they are advertised as being vine-ripened in the warm Tuscan sun. Full transparency, most are vine-ripened in sunny California but the climate is nearly the same so I’d still count it.
- Broth: You will need vegetable broth, either homemade vegetable broth or store-bought from a carton or cube.
- Butter Beans: You will need 2 cans of butter beans for this dish. Just a PSA, sometimes they are labeled as lima beans in the store.
- The Creamy Good Stuff: I use heavy cream for this dish but many readers have had success with using canned coconut milk or vegan heavy cream as dairy-free options.
- Parmesan: This brings a salty and umami flavor with a little bit of that cheesy goodness every Italian dish is known for. You can use a vegan parmesan if needed.
- Basil: Finally, the photo finish of a handful of torn fresh basil! You can use dried basil or the refrigerated kind that comes in a tube but the flavor will not be as pronounced and fresh.
Reader rating
“This was a really fantastic and easily modifiable recipe. I used coconut cream versus heavy cream and I think this pairs nicely as a side with either crispy tofu or tempeh. The sun-dried tomatoes were probably the nicest touch and best of all- it takes 15 minutes!” —Nicole
How to make Marry Me Butter Beans
This dish is so fast to make (15 minutes fast!) and only uses one pan. Let me prove it to you! This is a quick overview, and you can jump to the recipe for the full printable instructions!
- Make the flavor base, a delicious combination of butter, garlic, and spices.
- Add the fillings and cook for a few minutes.
- Finish it off with cream, parmesan, and basil!
Recipe Tip
Hey friends, flavor scientist here! Most people don’t “sweat” their spices which means to saute them with fat before adding anything else. The heat helps the spices open up and, therefore, become more aromatic (bonus: it makes your house smell amazing!)
Storage
This recipe keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container! When ready to reheat, just pop it in the microwave in 30-second bursts until warm.
Recipe Variations
With thousands of comments describing our reader’s unique takes on my Marry Me recipes, I wanted to include some of the most popular recipe variations.
- Tofu – cube and crisp it up (air fried tofu is my personal favorite)
- Mashed beans – try mashing some of the beans with the back of a fork for a thicker base
- Added veggies – you can add air fryer roasted vegetables like zucchini or cauliflower for more veggie goodness
Reader rating
“These beans are fantastic! This recipe is easily adaptable to be vegan. We served over pasta and added vegan sausage. I only had 1/2 the amount of vegan Parmesan on hand so added in some vegan cheddar. I subbed ripple pea milk for the heavy cream. All the flavors worked well with these substitutions. We’ll definitely be rotating this into regular rotation.” —Amanda
FAQs
How do you serve these butter beans?
I like to serve these on toast, with rice, or over pasta. It’s also delicious just plain too!
Can this recipe be made vegan or dairy-free?
Yes, you can use coconut milk or vegan heavy cream and vegan parmesan to make it dairy-free or vegan.
Can you freeze this?
No, I don’t recommend freezing this dish because the heavy cream becomes icy when frozen. It then separates when reheated.
Reader rating
“One of my ALL time favs! So many amazing flavors and the texture is great for dipping naan, or even soup.” —Kari
serving ideas
These butter beans are so good you might just end up eating them from the pot. But, if you’re looking for serving ideas for making them a rounded vegetarian dinner, here are my go-to ways!
- With bread, like crusty sourdough or fluffy naan (here’s how to make your own naan).
- With rice, like jasmine or basmati rice (though any type of rice works well).
- On toast, like a thick slab of sourdough or rye.
- With pasta, like a shell, rigatoni, or other type of pasta that will hold sauce well.
Hungry for more Marry Me?
Marry Me Butter Beans (With Creamy Tuscan Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 28 g
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth*, 120 to 236 mL
- 2 15-oz cans butter beans, aka lima beans, drained, 425 g cans
- 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream, can sub half-and-half, 236 mL
- ½ cup grated parmesan, 50 g
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, 4 cloves garlic, ½ tsp each salt, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp ground black pepper in a large saute pan or pot over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.
- Fillings: Stir in ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, ½ to 1 cup vegetable broth*, and 2 15-oz cans butter beans. Continue cooking on medium, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Finish: Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup chopped fresh spinach until wilted, then stir in 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup grated parmesan, and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil. Serve warm with crusty bread, over rice, or with pasta.
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!
Why is my sauce brown? Pretty tasty but don’t know why mine came out the color of mushrooms.
That can happen if your sun-dried tomatoes are more brownish!
I’m from South Carolina and have only had butter beans cooked with a smoked meat. My diet now leans more toward vegetarian. This recipe is a wonderful substitute for the way I’ve eaten butter beans. It’s that down home meal that hits the spot!
I’m so thrilled to hear it was a hit, Violet! Happy eating!
Made this last night for dinner, I didn’t have any spinach but served it with Rigatoni and crusty bread.
Will definitely make this again and think I’ll add some roughly chopped broccoli.
So glad it hit the spot, thanks for sharing Kim!
Can I used dried Lima beans for this? If so, how to prepare? Thank you 🙂
Yes, that should work! You will just need to boil them first until tender, and then they can be used in this recipe.
My wife sent this to me and said she wanted this for dinner. After I figured out a butter bean is a lima bean bc who reads parentheses. Lol
This recipe was super easy and delicious. We will making it again for sure.
I only had 1 can of butter beans. I didn’t have fresh spinach so I used 1/2 can spinach. I didn’t have dried tomatoes, so I used 1/2 can diced tomatoes. I didn’t have vegetable broth so I used a little beef broth. I didn’t have cream or half and half, so I stirred in a little plain Greek yogurt. I’m not a vegetarian. Because it was a bit too soupy, I added a little jasmine rice to the pan and covered it. It was marvelous!
Thanks for cooking with me, can’t wait for you to try more Lisa!
I cannot even begin to describe how delicious this recipe is! I’m already looking forward to making it again. It’s so sooo good, I couldn’t recommend it more! Genuinely thank you for making my current favorite recipe to make and eat ♡
This makes me so happy to read. Thanks so much for letting us know how it went, Maya!
Made these last night for myself. I always make a vegetarian-style meal when my meat-and-potatoes husband isn’t home to eat. And, suffice it to say – I’d marry you! I halved the recipe, and it turned out great! And it came together in just minutes – even better! It was a delicious meal, thanks!!!
You’re the best, thanks for the lovely feedback Lisa!
Can I sub coconut cream for heavy cream?
Yes, that would work!
I make the Marry me Butterbeans regularly, double the recipe, and have it for several days! Easy, filling, reasonably healthy, but best of all DELICIOUS!
Love hearing this, thanks for being here Trish!
Excellent. My family enjoyed this very much. Good balance. Seved with bucatini. Delicious
Yay, so glad it was a hit Kathleen!