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Creamy leek zucchini beans in a large pot with a silver spoon and pita bread on the side.

Creamy One Pot Lemony Leek and Zucchini Butter Beans


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  • Author: Kate Alexandra
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Diet: Low Calorie

Description

Protein-packed, incredibly satisfying and genuinely delicious? These GORGEOUS beans have it all. Made in one pot for ease AND in less than 30 minutes, just cook down leeks and zucchini, add your beans and a couple of other cupboard staple flavor injectors and you’re good to go.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 slices streaky bacon, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 leek, thinly sliced
  • 2 small courgettes, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, plus their liquid
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup parmesan, grated
  • 1 tablespoon za’atar (plus extra to finish)
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
  • Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large, high-sided pan then add the chopped bacon and set it over medium-high heat. 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).
  2. Cook the leek and zucchini. Add the sliced leek and zucchini 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 down nicely, adding a splash of oil if needed. This will take about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the beans. Pour in all the white beans and their liquid, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 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.
  4. 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, with soft garlic flatbreads, no-knead focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread or 2-ingredient dough naan on the side.

Notes

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The beans keep well and reheat perfectly, so they’re great for meal prep. Store them in the fridge for up to 4 days, then just reheat them in the microwave at 30-second intervals, or gently on the stovetop on low heat. You’ll want to add a splash of water to help the sauce loosen up as you reheat it.

INGREDIENTS NOTES: Play around here and add in more green veggies if you like – frozen peas are great, as is broccoli, broccolini or asparagus, or stir in a couple of big handfuls of spinach at the end. You could use creme fraiche, coconut cream, full-fat Greek yogurt or heavy cream in place of the sour cream. Swap the bacon for chorizo or another good-quality sausage, or throw in some cooked shredded chicken (a great way to use up leftovers from a roasted chicken). Or, skip the bacon to make it vegetarian (and use vegetarian parmesan). Skip the fish sauce if you like but it adds a GORGEOUS savoury, umami depth you won’t get from salt alone. It’s my secret, power ingredient I use all the time and I recommend you give it a chance (I promise it doesn’t taste fishy!)

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is truly enough by itself – the beans are filling – but serving it with a side of soft flatbreads, chilli cheese focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread or even 2 ingredient dough naan always goes down well.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: one pot
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: american

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 300g
  • Calories: 321
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Sodium: 1224.9mg
  • Fat: 16.4g
  • Saturated Fat: 5.6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 10.8g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.3g
  • Fiber: 7.3g
  • Protein: 14.7g
  • Cholesterol: 22.5mg