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Sicilian Pesto Butter Beans
5 from 18 votes

Sicilian Pesto Butter Beans

Have you tried Sicilian pesto? This nutty, toasty, cherry tomato and basil pesto is delicious paired with tender butter beans for a quick and flavorful 1-pan meal that’s ready in about half an hour. (gluten-free and soy-free with nut-free option)

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 270 kcal
Course: Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the Sicilian Pesto
  • 2 tablespoons almonds or almond flour, slivered
  • 2 tablespoons hemp seed or use almond flour or slivers
  • 2 cups cherry tomato
  • ½ cup basil fresh
  • ½ teaspoon pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons vegan parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons vegan mozzarella
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil optional
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
For the Crisp Basil
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 basil leaves
  • 1 garlic thinly sliced, clove
For the Butter Beans
  • 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • ½ cup onion chopped or sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon oregano optional, dried
  • 1 cup water or stock, more if needed
  • 15 ounce butter beans drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups cooked butter beans, can

Instructions

Make the Sicilian Pesto Sauce
    Cup of Yum
  1. First, toast the almonds or almond flour, if they aren’t already toasted. Add the almond slivers or almond flour to a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until they smell nutty and turn golden. 3-4 minutes. Remove them from the skillet and add them to a food processor along with the rest of the Sicilian pesto ingredients. Process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture becomes a coarse paste. It should have some texture but no large pieces of tomato. 
Make the Crispy Basil
  1. In the same skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, carefully add the basil leaves, and distribute them all over the skillet. Let them cook until crisp. Once the basil is somewhat crisp, add the garlic and mix it in. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds, until the garlic starts to turn golden. Remove most of the crisp basil and garlic from the skillet, leaving behind one or two leaves and a couple of garlic slices.
Make the Pesto Butter Beans
  1. To the same skillet, add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the onion turns golden. 4-6 minutes. Add splashes of water in between to help conduct heat evenly and brown the onion evenly. 
  2. Once the onion is golden brown, mix the Sicilian pesto and the oregano to the skillet. Then use ½ cup of water to rinse out the food processor and add that water to the skillet, as well. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the remaining salt and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt and flavor. 
  3. Mix in ¼ cup of water and the butter beans. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add more water to adjust the consistency, and bring it back to a boil.
  4. Top the butter beans with the crisp basil and garlic, then turn off the heat. If you prefer more heat, sprinkle with additional pepper flakes. The butter beans will have a strong basil flavor right after cooking, but the flavors will meld and settle in the next 5 to 10 minutes.
  5. Serve these butter beans with toasted sourdough, garlic bread, multigrain bread, over pasta, or with roasted vegetables. They are creamy, fresh, and full of basil and tomato flavor.

Notes

  • This recipe is gluten-free, and it is soy-free as long as you use soy-free vegan cheese in the Sicilian pesto sauce. For a nut-free version, omit the almond flour or slivers and add more hemp seeds instead. 
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Nutrition Information

Calories 270kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 27g (9%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Monounsaturated Fat 6g (30%) Sodium 549mg (23%) Potassium 525mg (11%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 683IU (14%) Vitamin C 20mg (22%) Calcium 83mg (8%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270

% Daily Value*

Calories 270kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 27g 9%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Sodium 549mg 23%
Potassium 525mg 11%
Fiber 8g 32%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 683IU 14%
Vitamin C 20mg 22%
Calcium 83mg 8%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.