Easy Greek Butter Beans! Say “opa” to a delectable dining experience with this Greek-inspired dish that is sure to become a family favorite!
These budget-friendly Easy Greek Butter Beans are infused with traditional Greek herbs and spices creating a symphony of flavors that will leave you craving more. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a kitchen novice, this dish is a breeze to prepare and perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner or a gathering with friends.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Are you as obsessed with Greek food as we are? Well, let’s be real – we’re food enthusiasts through and through, but there’s something truly special about Greek cuisine that captured my heart back in the days when I wandered the charming streets of Santorini, Greece after high school graduation.
The flavors, the aromas, the memories – they all come together in this delightful dish that pays homage to the vibrant and irresistible essence of Greek cooking.
You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Easy Greek Butter Beans dish is an easy and budget-friendly dish that is full of delicious tomatoey Greek flavors with spinach and butter beans.
- Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This dish was designed to be low in fat. Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this dish. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat dish. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe. If you wish to make it more indulgent, add Vegan Parmesan Cheese on individual servings. The vegan parmesan cheese totally takes it over the top.
- Butter Beans:While “Butter Beans” are considered the same as lima beans, for the sake of this recipe, they are not the same. A butter bean is a very mature lima bean. They are bigger, creamier, have less color, and are more fragile. They are sold as a “Butter Beans” on the can label in stores.
- Amount of Butter Beans: If you want this to be more of a saucy type dish, then only use one can of butter beans.
- Butter Beans Substitutions: You can substitute your favorite white bean for the butter beans such as great northern or cannellini beans.
- Fresh Baby Spinach: Chop the fresh baby spinach into small pieces for a better mouth feel. Feel free to substitute for your favorite greens.
- Greens: Greens such as spinach and kale are natural spice/herb neutralizers. A soup/stew/dish can taste perfectly seasoned before adding the greens, then once the greens are added, the flavor mellows and may require more seasoning.
- Miso: The miso adds a savory element to this dish and helps round out the flavors. It is optional.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the crushed tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. However, if you prefer that ‘tinny’ flavor that comes from canned tomatoes, then leave out the baking soda or perhaps use a tiny pinch.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Miso: We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil. You can also use chickpea miso for a soy free version.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Products:
- Large skillet or similar stockpot
If you try this flavorful dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintEasy Greek Butter Beans
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These budget-friendly Easy Greek Butter Beans are infused with traditional Greek herbs and spices creating a symphony of flavors that will leave you craving more.
Ingredients
Skillet Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, small dice
- 1 – [ 28 oz. can ] crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (+/-)
- ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda (optional) *
- 2 – [ 15.5 oz. cans ] butter beans, drained and rinsed *
- 1 Tablespoon white miso (optional) *
- 2 ½ to 3 cups chopped fresh baby spinach *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 to 4 teaspoons dried oregano (+/-)
- Pinch to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (+/-)
- Pinch to 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
- ¼ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Serving Ideas:
- Boiled, baked, roasted potatoes
- Cooked pasta
- Steamed rice
- Crusty bread/flatbread
Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- In a large skillet, add the finely diced onions and green bell peppers, sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes, then add ¼ cup water to water sauté for several minutes.
- Then lower the heat to medium, add the minced garlic, sauté, stir constantly for one minute.
- Then add all the remaining Skillet Ingredients (except the butter beans, spinach, and baking soda) and the Spice/Herb Mix to the skillet, stir to incorporate, bring the mixture to a boil, add the baking soda, then immediately lower to a simmer. Add the butter beans and spinach, stir to incorporate, then simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Serving ideas: Serve over steamed rice, boiled or baked potatoes, cooked pasta, or with crusty bread or flatbread.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4-5
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Looks delicious!! will definitely be making this soon! and please tell me what is the wonderfully thick pita bread that is shown with this dish? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes! Yours are the best!
Hi there Chris,
Thank you so much. The extra thick pita bread was purchased from our local bakery as unbeknownst to us, Dad had eaten our last pita bread that we had made several days before. we ran out. Here is the link to our pita bread. https://monkeyandmekitchenadventures.com/healthy-whole-grain-pita-bread/
-Ameera and Robin
Thank you!