Whether you call them Marry Me Butter Beans or Tuscan White Beans, this simple dish makes the easiest vegan and gluten-free meal! With only 30 minutes required, it's a truly delicious and cozy weeknight dinner.
This recipe is my plant-based twist on the popular Marry Me Chicken, which claims if you make this dish for your partner, a marriage proposal will be the next question!
For this recipe, we're swapping out chicken for butter beans and cooking them in a rich and creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. If you loved my Lemon Garlic Butter Beans or Tomato Basil Beans, then you must try this vegan marry me "chicken"!
Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Butter Beans: the dish works best with these beans as they are thick and flat. However, you can substitute for lima beans, chickpeas, or cannellini beans.
- Just make sure to use canned beans as you need the bean liquid to make this dish extra creamy!
- Coconut cream: This provides the creaminess of the Tuscan sauce. Please note to JUST use the cream, not canned coconut milk, for the creamiest dish.
- It can be substituted for an unsweetened plant-based creamer or vegan cream cheese for similar results.
- Shallot: Can be substituted for ½ chopped red onion.
- Vegan butter: This can be substituted 1:1 for olive oil or any other neutral oil.
- Nutritional yeast: This gives the dish a cheesy flavor while keeping it vegan.
- There isn't a good substitute for this but you can omit it if you do not like the flavor.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I highly suggest using sun-dried tomatoes that have been marinated in oil for the best flavor!
How to make Tuscan butter beans
First, finely chop the shallot and mince the garlic. I like to use a garlic press here to cut down on prep work.
Then, melt the vegan butter in a pan. I recommend using my favorite Caraway Pans or a Dutch Oven for the best results.
Add in the shallots & garlic and saute in the butter for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried thyme, and chili flakes. Mix and saute with the shallots and garlic for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the can of butter beans with their cooking liquid. The bean juice or "aquafaba" makes this dish super creamy so don't strain it! Then, add in the coconut cream and lemon juice.
Stir everything together and cook at a simmer for another 5 minutes. This cooking time helps to evaporate some of the bean juice and cook down the sauce to make these Tuscan white beans super creamy.
As a final step, add in the fresh basil and season with salt & pepper to your liking. Serve warm & enjoy!
FAQ & Tips:
What can I serve marry me beans with?
While they are honestly great on their own, I love serving these Tuscan beans with a few slices of toasted sourdough, rosemary focaccia, or my addicting vegan garlic bread!
This dish almost resembles a curry in texture and is great served over a big bowl of rice. You can even add in more veggies including spinach, kale, or cooked artichokes for an extra bit of flavor.
How do I store Tuscan butter beans?
These sun-dried tomato butter beans are best enjoyed right after making. However, leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Keep in mind that the sauce will solidify in the fridge/freezer, so you'll need to reheat them to enjoy. To reheat, microwave or cook over low heat on the stovetop until warmed throughout.
You are going to love these savory & rich Marry Me Butter Beans! With an addictingly creamy tomato sauce and fresh basil, they are truly an easy and flavorful 30-minute weeknight dinner. Enjoy!
-TSG
More plant-based dinner ideas with beans you will love:
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Marry Me Butter Beans
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 large shallot peeled & finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes marinated in oil & chopped
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 15 ounces canned butter beans 1 can with the liquid added to the pot- do not strain!
- 2 Tablespoons coconut cream
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- salt & pepper to taste season to your liking here!
Instructions
- To prep, finely dice the shallots, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and mince the garlic. I recommend using a garlic press if you have it.
- Next, add the vegan butter to a large pot and melt over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add in the shallots and garlic. Stir together and saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried thyme, and chili flakes. Stir and saute with the shallots and garlic for another minute until combined.
- Add the can of butter beans to the pan including the liquid from the can. This makes the beans really creamy, so do not strain them. Then, add in the coconut cream, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice.
- Stir together and bring the beans to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for about 5 minutes to reduce some of the liquid and cook the beans.
- Once the sauce has thickend, add in the fresh basil and season with salt & pepper to your liking.
- Serve while warm with a big slice of toasted bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for substitution ideas & more recipe tips.
- Leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Lucy says
Absolutely love this recipe! Have made it a couple of times now.
Can you tell me if the calorie count includes an estimate of the bread?
Megan says
It does not include the bread- glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah says
I did x2 the recipe. I used coconut milk instead of cream and I didn't have nutritional yeast so i used a tablespoon of better than bouillon roasted garlic base and this turned out AMAZING. I also didn't have basil and still was incredible.
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Brit says
Made this ALMOST exactly as stated, except that me and my friends tried it at 1/2 the amount of coconut cream and decided that was enough. We multiplied this recipe times 6 and served it at a party with bread and everyone really loved it. Perfect texture. I also saw on a review that the dip or beans tasted bitter- I used Goya’s brand and it was perfect 👌🏼
Lauren says
This recipe was amazing! Totally blew me away. Thanks for creating this masterpiece; it is now in the rotation. <3
Danielle says
Yum!! I just made this last night and it was super delicious!
I added two cans of beans, I didn’t want to open a whole can of coconut cream for only a few tsp; so I subbed it with a baby can of coconut milk, and added spinach & extra nooch - very tasty! Will definitely be making it again. 😊