Protein-packed, incredibly satisfying, and genuinely delicious? These GORGEOUS lemony leek and zucchini butter beans have it all. Made in one pot for ease AND in less than 30 minutes, just cook down your greens, add beans, and a couple of other cupboard staple flavor injectors, and you’re good to go.
Why You’ll Love These Beans
Could I live off saucy, veggie-packed, cheesy white beans? I think I could!
I’ve found that you can basically pair butter beans (or cannellini beans) with any sauce you’d normally pair with pasta or a curry (I feel like they would be AMAZING instead of chicken in this gorgeously creamy 20-minute butter chicken).
They behave a little like gnocchi, a little like risotto and are unbelievably satisfying and full of flavor. These creamy sundried tomato ‘Marry Me’ white beans consistently get rave reviews and have converted many of you to the wonders of beans, so I think you’ll enjoy this version too.
This one is giving a hint of springtime vibes – the zesty lemon, fragrant leeks, and mild zucchini pair perfectly and make for a wonderful, super easy meal that’s fab for any day of the week. It’s also a great one to prep ahead of time and enjoy throughout the week. My one pot green goddess lasagna has a similar flavor profile if you’re interested in trying that one next.
I’m also letting you in on one of my secret kitchen powerhouse ingredients in this recipe, which you might be surprised to see. But I promise it’s worth trying!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- White beans. Either butter beans or cannellini beans are perfect here – both have that lovely creamy consistency that almost melts in your mouth. You could use chickpeas (garbanzos) if you like too.
- Zucchini (courgettes). I feel like zucchini gets a bit of a bad rap for being boring, but when you cook them in olive oil with garlic and lemon, they’re truly gorgeous. Naturally creamy, they break down in the pan to create a full, glossy sauce.
- Leek. I’m not a fan of onions, but I LOVE scallions, and I love leeks. They’re not as strong as onions but have that lovely flavour as they’re cooked down, bringing a gorgeous, delicate, fresh flavour to the beans.
- Lemon. You ideally want a fresh lemon because you’ll be using the zest, but if you can’t find one, just use 1 teaspoon of bottled lemon juice instead.
- Za’atar. This is one of my most-used spice mixes, and I recommend you pick some up, too. Za’atar can vary, but it’s generally a mix of dried herbs (thyme, oregano, marjoram, or a mix), tangy sumac and toasted sesame seeds. You can pick it up in larger grocery stores, or make your own DIY version using those ingredients. If you can’t find it, just use dried thyme.
- Fish sauce. This is optional, and I know it seems unconventional, but I PROMISE you won’t regret using it. This is my secret ingredient in SO many recipes, and it just adds an unreal savoury depth that you don’t get from salt alone.
How to Make Lemony Zucchini Butter Beans
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the beans – the full, detailed recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.
- Cook your bacon until super crispy, then remove from the pan. Add your sliced leek, zucchini, olive oil, and salt.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until they’ve softened beautifully.
- Add the butter beans, sour cream, za’atar, parmesan, and fish sauce if you’re using it, then stir to combine.
- It should be lovely and thick and creamy at this point. Then, add the crispy bacon back into the pan, along with most of the lemon zest.
- Give the beans a taste and add a little more salt if you like. Finish with the remaining lemon zest and a little more za’atar, then enjoy while hot and saucy.
Lemony Zucchini Butter Beans FAQs
You can use any white bean here you like – I tend to go between butter beans and cannellini beans when I make this recipe, and both are wonderful. But chickpeas (garbanzos), black beans, or Kidney beans will work well too.
For the best creamy texture, I prefer jarred beans as they tend to be better quality, but canned beans are cheaper and are absolutely fine otherwise.
Yes! They reheat wonderfully and keep well.
Store them for 4 days in the fridge, then either reheat in the microwave at 30-second intervals or on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of water when you reheat them, just to help loosen up the sauce.
Try more green veggies like broccolini (chop the florets and stems finely and add them with the zucchini and leek) or asparagus, or stir through a couple of big handfuls of spinach when you add the parmesan, sour cream, and za’atar.
Swap the bacon for chorizo or another good-quality sausage, or use leftover cooked chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken (this is a great way to use up leftovers from a herby roast chicken).
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 One Pot Lemony Leek and Zucchini Butter Beans
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the bacon.Set a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat then add the chopped bacon. Cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until the bacon is nice and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a plate (leave the bacon fat in the pan – it'll give the recipe wonderful flavor).
- Cook the leek and zucchini.Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet, then add the sliced leek, zucchini, and garlic to your pan, along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the leeks and zucchini have softened nicely, adding a splash of oil if needed. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Add the beans.Pour in the white beans and their liquid, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup grated parmesan, 1 tablespoon of za'atar, and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce if you're using it. Stir as the sour cream and cheese melt into the lovely sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the bacon and lemon zest.Once the sauce looks thick and glossy, add the crispy bacon back into the pan, along with most of the lemon zest. Stir them through the beans, then scatter over the rest of the lemon zest and another springing of za'atar. Divide between plates and enjoy while hot and gorgeous. I love serving it with fresh bread on the side to mop up all the sauce.
hi there! this was so delicious when I made it. However I was wondering if using dry beans will work the same? thanks!
SO happy you loved it! If you’re using dried beans, it’ll absolutely work BUT you’ll need to soak and cook them before you can use them in the recipe – otherwise they will stay super hard 🙂
Absolutely wonderful!!!! Such amazing flavor. My very picky husband loved the recipe! Thank-you! As a side note…I followed the recipe and missed putting in the garlic. I’ve re-read it and do not think it’s there. I sautéed the garlic and added it to the beans as the final step.
This turned out sooooo good! Definitely a new staple in our house 😀
Hi would I be able to freeze this dish do you think?
Hi Vanessa! Yes, you’ll be able to freeze it 🙂 The beans might be a little softer when defrosted but still taste great xx Kate
Very nice, very balanced. As a person who is not so keen/obsessed with beans/legumes, I really enjoyed it!