Creamy Butter Beans and Mushrooms
October 6, 2023
Hey there! Are you craving a tasty, healthy meal but don’t have much time to spare? Look no further than my creamy butter beans and mushrooms recipe! Not only is this dish packed with flavor, but it’s also super nutritious. Best of all, this dish comes together in under 20 minutes.
I’ve been seeing that butter beans are having a bit of a moment! They are really just large lima beans. They’re called butter beans in the southern United States and in the United Kingdom. In other parts of the U.S., they are known as lima beans, named after Lima, Peru, where the bean originates. Their growing popularity might have something to do with how affordable and protein-packed they are! With so many vegan meat substitutes hitting the shelves at record-high prices thanks to inflation, more and more plant-based people are opting for affordable, whole-food options. Beans are a natural protein powerhouse and are in every grocery store. I thought it was definitely time for a super accessible and quick meal idea, so I came up with this French-inspired creamy butter beans and mushrooms dish.
Cooking Method:
To whip up this dish, you’ll need some spinach, cashew cream, herbs de Provence, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and butter beans. We want to start by sautéing the mushrooms by themselves. Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture that we want to sweat out of them. A good olive oil is the move this time, and we need to saute those mushrooms for about 6 minutes, stirring throughout, until they’re juicy and browned. You might also notice that mushrooms reduce in size while cooking, thanks to the removed water content.
We need to remove the mushrooms to preserve their current texture, but using the same pan, we will saute the onion. Add the garlic after a couple of minutes and then the remainder of the ingredients except for the butter beans and cooked mushrooms.
Everyone knows the trope about how spinach cooks down so much, right? You add a giant amount of spinach, turn around, turn back, and see it’s wilted down to what looks like a few pieces! I’ll be honest: I even thought I was initially adding too much when developing this recipe. But it turned out I could have added even more! The written recipe below is accurate to the amount I used, and here is a photo of the spinach mountain to give you an idea.
Finishing touches:
Once we have our creamy sauce, we then add in the butter beans. This is because they are naturally very tender, and we don’t want to smush them with stirring to the point where they’re indistinguishable. We need to preserve that shape! Lastly, we add back in the sauteed mushrooms and, for presentation’s sake, tuck them in intentionally so we can still see that lovely color in the final dish. Sprinkle with more herbs de Provence, and top with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley if desired!
*recipe slightly modified 2/13/24
Creamy Butter Beans and Mushrooms
Ingredients
Creamy Butter Beans and Mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 large onion halved and sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup cashew cream (see notes)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp bouillon (vegan, no-chicken preferred)
- 1-2 T low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos (start with 1 and add more if desired)
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 6 oz. fresh baby spinach
- 1 can butter beans (unseasoned), drained
- salt to taste
Optional
- vegan parmesan
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a medium pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and then add mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring as they release their water and brown. Remove and set aside but don't clean out the pan.
- Add some more olive oil and saute the onion for 2 minutes until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more.
- Add the cashew cream, water, bouillon, soy sauce, and herbs de Provence and stir. Then add in spinach and cook down until spinach is reduced in size and wilted into the sauce.
- Add drained butter beans to the pan and gently stir. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed and let simmer on medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms back in and top with more herbs de Provence and optional vegan parmesan and fresh parsley. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes!
Notes
39 Comments
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Kate Veltkamp
I recommend starting small with any herbs you don’t use often to see what you like! Also, I think lentils would work nicely in this, just make sure they’re still firm when adding so they don’t lose their shape and become mushy. Chickpeas might be a better fit if your family dislikes butter beans.
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Jessica
This was so savory and delicious! I served it with some sprouted toast. I felt like I was in an Irish pub eating a vegan stew. Yum! Will definitely throw in my comfort food rotation. -
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Mountain Mama
Straight up INSANE. Going in my reg veg meal rotation for sure! I mess with stuff because I can’t help it, so I added a splash of white wine after sautéing the onions and garlic, and didn’t have bouillon so used vegi broth in place of that and water. Added a little white miso paste for some extra umami, and instead of the herbs de Provence used thyme, parsley, and a bit of rosemary. Served it with a slice of toasted bread to soak up the sauce. So dang good. My 3yo keeps saying, “mmmm yummy,” and even my Italian omnivorous husband thought it was delicious (didn’t even realize there wasn’t cow cream until I told him it was cashew). Great recipe all around, fun to play with personal tastes with. Thank you! -
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Kara
This is delicious. Didn’t change anything. 1 tbsp of light soy sauce was plenty for me as I find the better than bouillon has lots of salt! I put over some fussili pasta and had garlic bread on the side. Added to my tried and loved. Thank you for this easy easy and yummy supper! -
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Olivia
I have never left a comment on any recipe before, but I feel like I have to. You guys, this was easy, fast, and delicious which for vegan food is kind of the holy grail. The whole family liked it which is its own kind of miracle. This will be a new go to weekly meal.-
Kate Veltkamp
Thank you Olivia!! I appreciate your feedback and I’m so glad you loved it. We make it weekly here too!
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Jami
So freaking amazing I already want to make it again and maybe play with some of the other commenters suggestions (miso paste – YUM)! And I just realized I could put the leftovers over some mashed potatoes I made (with cauliflower in them) so even more veggies. Seriously, thanks for such an EASY & healthy recipe that is comfort food in a bowl. -
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Helen
This was beautiful . We aren’t normally plant based, however we are trying to make an active change to our diet and this is one of the lovliest and easiest recipes I have made. Thank you so much x
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Darcie Muise
Just finished reading How Not to Age and was looking for more bean-forward recipes and came upon this one. This is SO GOOD. I had a hard time finding herbs de province but so glad I did because I think it made the dish. Made as written for the most part but ended up using two cans of lima beans and crimini mushrooms (because I couldn’t find baby bella). I topped up the spices and soya sauce to account for more beans and needed a bit more water. I served this on toasted rye bread. My meat eating husband loved this too. This will be a regular meal for sure.-
Kate Veltkamp
Hi Darcie! So glad you found my site and kudos on including more plant based recipes in your repertoire! Just a note: “Baby bellas” is another name for cremini mushrooms because it’s the last stage of maturity before they become full-blown portobellos. 🙂
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Darcie Muise
I made this for the second time today and it is SO DELICIOUS. I serve on toasted, buttered light rye bread. For the cashew cream, I boiled my cashes for 20 mins before blending—just makes it so much easier and creamier if you don’t have a Vitamix-style blender. Only amendments: Used large white lima beans because they’re my favourite; doubled the herbs—it was hard to find Herbs de Provence where I live (Nova Scotia) but I finally did after hitting up three stores, and I’m so happy I did. LOVE this herb blend and it makes the entire dish. I also couldn’t find baby bella so just used sliced white mushrooms. This will be on rotation for sure. -
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Annie
Incredible. Tasted exactly like I had hoped. Added miso paste and served with sprouted toast. Will add a little white wine next time. 10/10! -
Heather
Can I use something other than cashews, I have an allergy.
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Sandra
I was planning on using coconut cream (not milk). Have not tried it yet though.
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Maily
This is an absolutely cracking recipe. I am not vegan, but am dairy free and trying to get more beans in my diet. This is creamy, well balance and delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing. -
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Kathy Clancy
Just delicious. The herbs are perfect! I added a little extra water to mine but nothing else. Thank you for this beautiful recipe. -
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Elizabeth Roberts
I’ve made this twice now. 2nd time around I added nutritional yeast, and doubled the amount of mushrooms . This will be in our meat free rotation more often. So good! -
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Moni
This was so delicious and easy to make! Question about the cashew cream – I followed your recipe ( 1/2 cup cashews with 3/4 water) and the cream was a bit too runny. Does this mean I should blend it for a longer amount of time? Or should I add more cashews next time?-
Kate Veltkamp
Hi Moni! So glad you enjoyed it. You can adjust the cashew cream to the thickness you prefer. It should be silky and well blended with no bits of cashew left. I use the consistency written to keep the final product with some sauciness. If the cream is too thick when adding, the final result of the dish might not be the correct consistency, but it’s up to your preferences! Thanks again.
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Christina
I tried this today and love it! This is the kind of recipe that tastes like a complete indulgence when it’s actually very healthy. I followed the recipe exactly as written and found it to be absolutely delicious. I served it on top of some tri-colored quinoa with Violife parm and fresh parsley as suggested. I will definitely be making this again and look forward to trying more of your recipes.-
Kate Veltkamp
Christina, thank you for taking the time to let me know what you thought of the dish! Glad to have you 🙂
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Mona Dougherty
I really liked it. I put a splash of white vermouth with the onion and garlic and added a bit of white miso like someone else mentioned. Also used chick pease because I’m not a butter bean fan. Very nice -
Leave a Reply
Kate Veltkamp
Hi, I'm Kate, the passionate chef behind The Friendly Feast! Here, I share delicious plant-based recipes that make cooking fun, easy, and family-friendly. Whether you're looking for weeknight meals, seasonal favorites, or tips for incorporating more plants into your life, you're in the right place. Let's cook up something delicious together!
A teacher
I loved the sauce until I added the herbs. I will skip them next time. I wish my family liked beans because no how delicious the sauce is, and this one was, they hate beans. I wonder if lentils would be a good replacement.