Creamy One Pot Sundried Tomato White Beans (2024)

What brand of beans do you use?

In the UK, I love using Bold Bean Co’s Queen Butter Beans – they’re soft, creamy and delicious and I think you can tell the difference. BUT, jarred beans are more expensive so you can use any brand of tinned butter beans here. You’ll need to use two tins to get the same quantity of drained beans as in the recipe.

I can’t find butter beans – can I use something else?

You could use any other bean – chickpeas (garbanzos) would be delicious, as would any other white bean or even Kidney beans.

Can I make this in advance?

You can! Much like pasta, the beans will continue to absorb liquid when they’re sitting in the sauce, so if you’re reheating them you’ll need to add a little water to loosen things up – start with a couple of tablespoons. You can heat this in the microwave for a couple of minutes, stirring halfway through, or reheat it on the stovetop.

UnitsScale

• 1 tablespoon of oil from the sundried tomato jar
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 1/2 cup cream (regular heavy cream or your favourite plant-based alternative)
• 1 jar white beans (drained weight 450g/15oz – use two 400g/14oz tins if using tinned beans)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan, plus another 1 tablespoon to garnish
• 2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chilli oil, to serve
  

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1. Cook the onion and garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon of the sundried tomato oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until soft and starting to change colour (it’ll start looking transparent). Add the crushed garlic cloves and stir for another minute.
2. Add sundried tomatoes and cream. Add the 1/2 cup of chopped sundried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of dried thyme and 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes, stir it, then pour in 1/2 cup of cream. and stir again. Add a splash of water if it’s looking a little thick at this point (this depends on how thick your cream is).
3. Add the white beans and spinach. Add the white beans and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan, then stir again. Bring the beans to a simmer for 5 minutes. You can add a little water if it’s thickening up too quickly. Add the spinach leaves, then mix them through the beans (they’ll wilt and reduce in size drastically). Give it a good grind of black pepper and then taste, and add a little more salt if it needs it.
4. Garnish and serve. Finish by drizzling the chilli oil all over the beans, then scatter over the remaining parmesan.

INGREDIENT NOTES: You can use cannellini beans, chickpeas (garbanzos), haricot beans or even kidney beans. Leave out the chilli flakes and chilli oil if you’re cooking for kids or you’re sensitive to spice. Use sour cream if you like – you’ll want to add a little more water (or stock) if you do, as sour cream tends to be thicker than regular cream.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can make the beans in advance, but they’ll keep absorbing liquid the longer they sit in it. Add a little water (start with 2 tablespoons) when you heat them up – you can heat them in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through or on the stovetop. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for three days.