This quickly and easily made Butter Bean Mash is a perfect side dish to meat, poultry or fish. The creamy, mild butter beans readily absorb the accompanying flavours of aromatic rosemary, garlic and freshly grated parmesan cheese. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice balances and enhances the flavours. You will be delighted that such an easy dish is so flavoursome, as well as being nourishing, satisfying and able to be prepared in minutes.
This is so creamy and buttery! I’ve made this twice now, once with butter beans and again with cannellini beans. I added some leftover roasted garlic, rosemary, and thyme. The flavor and texture is so good. If you’re looking for a healthy, creamy side, this is it!
– Jamie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- The smooth, creamy Butter Bean Mash is pure comfort food, perfectly complementing the foods served alongside it.
- Containing regular pantry ingredients, it is a nutritious substitute for mashed potato, but quicker and easier to prepare, making it ideal for busy weeknights. For ease, we use tinned beans, and this means that you can have a deliciously smooth, creamy, comforting mash ready in about 15 minutes.
- You don’t need any culinary skills to make this delicious side dish. Just add the beans to a small food processor and blitz to a smooth puree. Then warm them with the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and serve. It’s that easy!
- The beans have a mild flavour, which makes them ideal for customising the added flavours to suit your taste.
Recipe Inspiration: canned beans are one of my favourite pantry staples. This recipe is simple, tastes delicious and features some of my favourite Mediterranean flavours.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Butter beans – we use tinned beans, which are readily available and inexpensive. Their soft, creamy texture makes them ideal for this dish. Also known as Lima beans, they make a hearty, comforting side dish. As well, they are similar to Greek Gigantes beans.
- Water – to thin the mixture.
- Olive oil – for the best flavour and nutritional benefit, we use extra virgin olive oil. Use the best olive oil that you have.
- Garlic – we use fresh garlic as the flavour is superior to the bottled variety.
- Rosemary – fresh rosemary is an aromatic, woody herb that adds great flavour to the beans.
- Lemon zest and juice – these are great flavour boosters. Be sure to remove the zest before juicing the lemon.
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grated parmesan adds great umami flavour to the beans. Use good quality cheese.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – add to suit your taste.
Variations:
Beans – cannellini, haricot or navy beans are good substitutes. If you prefer, kidney beans can also be used. Some varieties are not as creamy as butter beans and will need to be blended for a longer time.
Herbs – you can substitute with fresh parsley, oregano, chives or sage.
Parmesan cheese – you could use cheddar or a blue cheese if you prefer.
To keep the Butter Bean Mash vegan, you could add vegan cheese or nutritional yeast.
Other optional flavour additions are –
Wholegrain mustard.
Dried chilli flakes for spice.
Sprinkle with roasted walnuts.
How to Make Butter Bean Mash:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Blend the beans:
In a small food processor, blend the butter beans and water until a smooth puree forms. Set aside.
2 – Cook the garlic:
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add the rosemary and stir.
3 – Add the beans to the garlic:
Add the pureed bean mixture, lemon juice and zest and warm through.
4 – Add the Parmesan:
Just before serving, add the parmesan cheese and season with sea salt and pepper.
Hint: always check that the finished dish is seasoned to your liking. A little extra salt or pepper can sometimes make all the difference.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Yes, you can; this is an ideal dish to make ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently reheat before serving. If necessary, add a small amount of water to get the consistency you want.
You certainly can. In fact, it’s a great idea to make a larger quantity so you have a batch ready to go when you need it. Freeze the cold mash in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Simply defrost and gently reheat before serving. If necessary, add a small amount of water to get the consistency you want.
No, you can use another variety. Cannellini beans are a great substitute.
Top Tip:
When a recipe is as simple as this one, it is important to use good-quality ingredients. Extra virgin olive oil will give you the best flavour as well as increased nutritional benefit. Good quality parmesan, which you freshly grate, is also important – it will make a great difference to the flavour of the dish. And for a mash that is smooth and creamy, be sure to blend the beans well.
Serving Suggestions:
This delicious Butter Bean Mash is the perfect side dish to many main courses. We like to serve it alongside:
- Roast Chicken or Spatchcock Chicken
- Crispy Stovetop Chicken Thighs
- Tuna and Potato Patties
- Any grilled fish or meat dishes.
Canned beans are such a fantastic pantry staple. A simple side dish can really elevate a meal, and this family-friendly Butter Bean Mash is certain to become a regular addition to your meals.
Alex xx
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Butter Bean Mash
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 2 cans butter beans (800 g/28 oz) – drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoon water See Note 1
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- 3 teaspoon fresh rosemary – finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese – freshly grated See Note 2
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste See Note 3
Instructions
- In a small food processor, blend the beans and water until a smooth puree forms. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add the rosemary.
- Add the pureed bean mixture, lemon juice and zest and warm through.
- When the bean mash is warmed through, stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon if desired and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each tablespoon listed.
- Parmesan: use the best quality you can and ensure it is freshly grated for the best flavour, and for the cheese to melt in to the mash properly.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour.
- Storage and reheating: this is an ideal dish to make ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Gently reheat before serving. If necessary, add a small amount of water to get the consistency you want.
- Freezing: freeze the cold mash in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Simply defrost and gently reheat before serving. If necessary, add a small amount of water to get the consistency you want.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Bambina
Great recipe thank you for sharing. Do you mind sharing where you got your lovely pot from ?
Alexandra Cook
Thank you – I am so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
The pot is from Aldi.
Thanks, Alex xo
Rose
Made this today and found it was so nice I didn’t really need anything to go with it, so I just had some on buttered toast. it was delicious and filling. it would definitely pair well as a side to plenty of mains
Alexandra Cook
Hello Rose,
This is lovely to hear – thank you! 🙂
Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Alex xo
Sherry
how delicious! i do love a bean mash esp. with lots of olive oil and garlic! I use cannellini most times.
Alexandra
Hi Sherry, thank you for your lovely feedback on the Butter Bean Mash. I appreciate that you took the time to contact me. 🙂
Jamie
This is so creamy and buttery! I’ve made this twice now, once with butter beans and again with cannellini beans. I added some leftover roasted garlic, rosemary, and thyme. The flavor and texture is so good. If you’re looking for a healthy, creamy side, this is it!
Alexandra
Hi Jamie, thank you for your lovely feedback on the Butter Bean Mash. I am so pleased that you enjoyed it; your additions sound delicious! 🙂