USA · Vegetable and Mushroom Dishes
Marry Me Beans
The meatless take on viral Marry Me Chicken: creamy white beans in a sun-dried tomato and parmesan sauce, finished with spinach and a whisper of chili.
Ingredients
- cannellini beans, cooked or canned, drained weight800 g
- sun-dried tomatoes80 g
- parmesan50 g
- heavy cream200 ml
- garlic4 pcs
- onion1 pcs
- vegetable stock200 ml
- baby spinach100 g
- red pepper flakes2 g
- Italian herbs3 g
- olive oil15 ml
- black pepper1 g
Method
- 1Warm the olive oil (use some of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar for extra flavour) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- 2Add the minced garlic, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and Italian herbs. Cook for a minute until fragrant — the garlic and dried herbs need a moment in the oil to bloom.
- 3Pour in the vegetable stock and scrape up anything stuck to the pan. Add the drained cannellini beans and simmer gently for 5 minutes so they absorb the flavour.
- 4Lightly mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pan. This thickens the sauce into something creamy and cohesive without any flour.
- 5Stir in the heavy cream and the grated parmesan, and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce is silky and lightly thickened. Keep the heat gentle so the cream doesn't split.
- 6Fold in the baby spinach and cook just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with black pepper and taste — the parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes bring a lot of salt, so add more only if needed.
- 7Serve hot, with crusty bread to mop up the sauce or over rice, pasta, or polenta. A final grating of parmesan and a drizzle of the sun-dried tomato oil finish it.