Creamy, garlicky, and perfect for scooping up with warm bread, these ‘Marry Me’ white beans turn a couple of cans of beans into a gorgeous dinner. Buttery white beans are coated in a rich parmesan cream sauce with tangy sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, then get a drizzle of spicy chili oil to finish. Ready in 15 minutes, made in one pot, it’s quick, cozy comfort food for any day of the week.
Table of Contents
- ‘Marry Me’ White Beans, at a Glance
- For Anyone Who Thinks Beans Aren’t Dinner
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make ‘Marry Me’ Beans
- Watch How to Make ‘Marry Me’ White Beans
- ‘Marry Me’ Beans FAQs
- Like this recipe? Try these easy one-pot ideas next
- Creamy One Pot Sundried Tomato White Beans (‘Marry Me’ White Beans) Recipe
‘Marry Me’ White Beans, at a Glance
⏰ Time: 15 minutes
🍽️ Makes: 4 bagels
🛒 Key Ingredients: White beans, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parmesan, cream, spinach
🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
👩🍳 Cooking Method: One pot, stovetop
💃 Perfect For: Busy weeknights, cozy lunches, meal prep, speedy dinners
For Anyone Who Thinks Beans Aren’t Dinner
I like to think of these very lovely beans as a higher-protein, creamy gnocchi dupe 👀 You get that same, lovely, comfort-food-esque vibe, with the buttery beans swimming in the most gorgeous sauce. And my boyfriend (who swears a bowl of beans isn’t a real meal) absolutely loves this recipe and always goes back for seconds.
I’ve even had someone tell me their super-picky 12-year-old loved it too, so if that’s not a solid endorsement, I don’t know what is.
If you’ve had creamy Tuscan chicken or the original, viral ‘Marry Me’ chicken, you’ll recognize the flavors here. You’ve got that rich, garlicky parmesan cream sauce laced with sun-dried tomatoes, and a handful of baby spinach for a pop of green. I always finish the beans with a drizzle of spicy chili oil – it cuts through the creaminess and adds just the right amount of heat. Highly recommend if you like a little kick.
And while the name ‘Marry Me’ will never be my favorite, there’s no denying the flavors. If you’re into these creamy, umami-packed, tomato-and-garlic vibes, try some of my other Marry Me-inspired recipes:
- One-pot ‘Marry Me’ chickpeas (super similar!)
- ‘Marry Me’ crispy rice salad
- One-pot ‘Marry Me’ chicken gnocchi
- One-pot ‘Marry Me’ orzo
- Oozy, creamy ‘Marry Me’ chicken dip
- Speedy ‘Marry Me’ chicken pasta
“I’ve made these twice now! Omg, I want to marry myself. Lol, I’m vegetarian so I use vegetarian Asiago with a rosemary and olive oil rind. I throw the whole damn slice in! Xoxo”
Ingredients You’ll Need
- White beans. Fiber-filled and delicious, these guys are a protein powerhouse. You can use canned beans because they’re cheaper, but I love jarred ones for superior flavor. I’m using butter beans, but you can use chickpeas, cannellini beans, or even Kidney beans if that’s what you can find.
- Cream. Regular heavy (double) cream is fine, or use sour cream for a little more tang. You can also absolutely use your favorite plant-based cream – I’ve had lots of readers tell me they’ve used oat cream, coconut cream, or thick coconut milk, and it’s worked perfectly.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Look for semi-dried tomatoes in olive oil for their superior texture and flavor (they’re a little softer), but regular sun-dried tomatoes will be absolutely fine. I also love using the marinating oil from the jar to cook with in the recipe. You can also use sun-dried tomato pesto as a little shortcut.
- Chili flakes. Skip these if you’re worried about the beans being spicy, or reduce the quantity to ½ teaspoon.
How to Make ‘Marry Me’ Beans
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the creamy beans – you’ll find the full ingredient quantities and directions at the bottom of the page.
- Cook your diced onion until it’s nice and soft, then add the garlic.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, dried herbs, and chili flakes. Stir them through the onion and garlic.
- Pour in the cream, white beans, and parmesan. Stir to combine.
- Simmer the beans for a few minutes to thicken up the sauce, then scatter your spinach leaves on top.
- Stir the spinach through the creamy beans so the leaves wilt into the sauce. Add black pepper and more salt if it needs it (taste to check).
- Drizzle with lots of lovely chili oil and more parmesan to serve.
Watch How to Make ‘Marry Me’ White Beans
‘Marry Me’ Beans FAQs
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. They also freeze brilliantly.
You could use any other bean – chickpeas (garbanzos) would be delicious, as would any other white bean (like cannellini, great northern, or Navy beans) or even Kidney beans.
Yes! I’ve had readers have fabulous results using coconut milk, coconut cream, oat cream, cashew, or almond cream for a dairy-free version. You could also skip the parmesan or use a vegan alternative (nutritional yeast works well too).
A non-negotiable for me is some lovely fresh bread on the side for dipping. I recommend this gorgeous no-knead chili cheese focaccia or no-knead rosemary parmesan bread, or you could quickly make some two-ingredient dough garlic flatbreads. They also pair well with more protein – try them with miso grilled chicken, honey harissa grilled chicken, sticky gochujang chicken, miso grilled salmon or even this juicy herb-roasted chicken.
Any other leafy green will work well – try kale or chard – or you can throw in other greens like chopped broccoli, asparagus, or even frozen peas.
Like this recipe? Try these easy one-pot ideas next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
Creamy ‘Marry Me’ White Beans (15 Minutes, One Pot)
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the onion and garlic.Heat 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil in a high-sided skillet over medium heat, then add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, for about five minutes or until the onion is soft and starting to change color (it'll look more transparent). Add the crushed garlic cloves and stir through the onion.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and cream.Add ½ cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon chili flakes or red pepper flakes. Stir, then pour in ½ cup of cream and stir again.
- Add the white beans.Add the white beans with their liquid (using the starchy bean juice is a great trick to create a luscious sauce – it’s like pasta water in that way – but if you want to drain your beans, you'll need to add roughly ½ cup of water or stock to loosen up the sauce). Add ½ cup of grated parmesan, then stir again. Simmer the beans for about five minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
- Add the spinach.Scatter your spinach leaves into the pan, then mix them through the beans (they'll wilt and reduce in size drastically). Add a nice grind of black pepper and then taste and add a little more salt if it needs it.
- Garnish and serve.Finish by drizzling the chili oil all over the beans, then scatter over the remaining parmesan. Serve while hot, with fresh bread for mopping up the lovely sauce.
omg, this is sooo good! can’t believe I haven’t done that before! I switched to vegan options with almond cream and yeast flakes and I loved every bite. Thank you so much!
Yayyyyy I’m so happy you loved!! The flavour are just sooooooooo delicious right?? x
Hi! What do you serve with these? Thank you!
Hi Maria! Truly you don’t really need anything other than some bread to mop up the sauce with – it’s lovely and filling. I love focaccia, or flatbreads x
Hi. Do we have any nutritional info for this recipe??
Hi Judy, I will add it in now! 🙂
This is one if the best recipes I’ve seen regarding white beans
These are delicious Kate! A lovely comforting bowl of goodness!
Yayyyy, so happy you loved Anna-Marie xx
This is so good I made a second batch as soon as I finished the first! It’s so rich and satisfying and reheats well for later.
LOVE this!!! Right – it’s such a great one to make ahead for the week x
This was delicious! Could I sub Greek yogurt for the cream? Trying to b ❤️ healthy.
Yayyyy I’m so pleased you enjoyed!! You can – try to use full-fat yogurt if you can – it may split with the heat which will make the texture a little different, but it’ll still taste great x
Just wanted to share that I’ve used soy cashew cream instead of real cream, added lots of fresh basil on top and it was delicious on the day. Plus I recently reheated a container I froze and it was also delicious. Wonderful to find such a healthy, delicious, affordable meal that freezes so well too! I’ve made it for others and I’m frequently asked for the recipe!
Thank you again.
Ahhh Toria this is just the best thing to hear!! So so happy you loved it 🙂 I LOVE that cashew cream AND that freezing worked so well for you too, that’s always such a bonus isn’t it xx
Have you ever tried freezing these?
I’ve made them several times and love them! I’d love to make a big batch if it freezes well
I haven’t tried freezing them but I suspect they’d freeze well! I’ll have to give it a try to know for sure, but I think it’s worth the risk 🙂 So happy you’ve been enjoying them x
What would be a good substitute for the chili oil?
You could use dollops of pesto, or a drizzle of olive oil 🙂
My wife can’t do tomatoes. Do you think roasted red pepper or pimentos could be substituted for the sun dried tomatoes?
Oh 100% you could use them! Would be a lovely swap x
I can’t wait to try this. Is this a dish you can serve over rice?
You could for sure if you like!
I’ve made these twice now! Omg I want to marry myself. Lol I’m vegetarian do I use vegetarian Asiago with rosemary and olive oil rind. I throw the whole damn slice in! Xoxo
Funny comment!!
Do you have to drain the bold beans?? Or just chuck all in?
You can do either and either way works – throwing it all in will make it saucier which I like but it’s up to you!
I made this and it was so comforting and delicious. I made a few swaps: Dried oregano instead of thyme and I used soy cashew cream instead of heavy cream and it was delicious and looked super creamy. I made the white beans from scratch so I used several ladles of their water I boiled the beans in to loosen up the saucce as I found out the dish dried very quickly after removal from heat. Healthy, affordable, comforting and not too time consuming. Thank you.