Creamy Saucy Butter Beans with Polenta Recipe
Creamy Saucy Butter Beans with Polenta is a comforting and nutritious plant-based dinner recipe featuring a blended vegetable sauce enriched with butter beans and served over creamy polenta. This dish combines roasted bell peppers, onions, garlic, and tomato passata into a luscious sauce with cashews and non-dairy milk for extra creaminess and hidden nutrients, making it a wholesome and satisfying meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Vegetable Sauce
- 1 (around 7.5 ounces) bell pepper, roughly chopped
- ½ (around 3 ounces) onion, roughly chopped (red, yellow, or white)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, whole
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ⅔ cup tomato passata (tomato puree)
- ¼ cup cashews
- ½ cup unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Main
- 2 (15 ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
Polenta
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 4 cups (960 ml) water (for cooking polenta)
Garnish
- Fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Heat a pan over medium-low heat and cook the onions, garlic cloves, and roughly chopped bell pepper with ½ tablespoon olive oil for about 5 minutes until fragrant and soft.
- Add Tomato and Cashews: Stir in the tomato passata, ⅓ cup (80ml) water, and cashews. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water if the mixture becomes too dry during cooking.
- Blend the Sauce: Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender and add ½ cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk. Blend on high for 60 seconds or until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy.
- Combine Sauce with Beans: Pour the blended sauce back into the pan and add the drained butter beans. Rinse the blender with about ½ cup (120ml) of water and add this liquid to the pan to get all the sauce. Season with about ½ teaspoon salt, and add nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer the beans in the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Cook the Polenta: While the sauce simmers, bring 4 cups (960ml) water to a boil in a separate pot. Slowly whisk in the dry polenta, cooking according to package instructions until thick and creamy.
- Serve: Spoon the cooked polenta into bowls and top with the creamy saucy butter beans. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Use any color bell pepper for different flavor nuances.
- Cashews add creaminess but can be replaced with soaked sunflower seeds for a nut-free version.
- Non-dairy milk ensures the recipe is vegan; coconut or oat milk works well.
- Adjust salt and spice according to preference.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated gently on stovetop.
- If polenta thickens too much upon standing, stir in a splash of water or non-dairy milk when reheating.
