Creamy Butter Beans With Mushrooms And Spring Greens
Step into spring and whip up this dish of creamy butter beans with mushrooms and leeks. It's luxurious spring comfort food and is ever so easy to make. The recipe is quick too, making it an ideal midweek dinner. Use wild greens, if you can find them, but spinach or spring greens if not.
Place a medium sized pan over a moderate heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the leek slices and fry for a couple of minutes until softened. Give an occasional stir to avoid them catching. You don't want the leeks to go brown.
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 leek
Add the butter followed by the mushrooms, garlic (if using) and a pinch of salt. Fry for three minutes or until the mushrooms have cooked through. Again, give an occasional stir.
15 g unsalted butter, 150 g mushrooms of your choice, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp sea or rock salt
Add the butter beans and stir through. You may need a splash of water if everything's looking a bit dry.
225 g cooked butter beans (lima beans)
Add the tamari and greens, place the lid on the pan and allow the greens to wilt. This usually takes about three minutes.
1 tsp tamari (affiliate link), 50 g nettle tops
Add the cream, give a good stir and place the lid back on the pan. Allow the mixture to bubble for a minute or two, then take the pan off the heat.
75 ml double cream (heavy cream)
Grate in the nutmeg, grind in the pepper and stir in the lemon juice. Taste test and add the rest of the salt if needed.
¼ tsp fresh nutmeg, good grinding of black pepper, ½ lemon
Pour the contents of the pan into a dish and scatter the parsley over the top.
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Notes
* or use 180g dried butter beans or one 400g tins – drained and rinsed.If you prep the mushrooms whilst the leeks are cooking and the greens whilst the mushrooms are cooking, you can get this dish on the table within twenty minutes.Serve with crusty bread or as a topping for baked potatoes, rice or pasta.To make this vegan, just swap the dairy elements for plant-based ones.If I make this with greens other than wild garlic, I'll often add two teaspoons of wild garlic pesto instead of the garlic cloves. If I use wild garlic, then I also don't add the garlic cloves.You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.