Creamy One Pot Lemony Leek and Zucchini Butter Beans

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

5 from 1 vote

Creamy One Pot Lemony Leek and Zucchini Butter Beans

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butter beans, cannellini beans, one pot

Servings: servings

Calories: 321kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

3 slices of bacon chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek thinly sliced
2 medium zucchinis about 14 -18 oz or 400 - 500g
4 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon salt
2 cans of cannellini beans plus their liquid (400g or 14oz cans)
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

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.

Notes

Skip the fish sauce if you like, but it adds a GORGEOUS savory, 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!)

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.

ADD MORE GREENS: 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.

NO SOUR CREAM? You could use creme fraiche, coconut cream, full-fat Greek yogurt or heavy cream instead.

SWAP YOUR PROTEIN: 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 herby chicken). Or, skip the bacon to make it vegetarian (and use vegetarian parmesan).

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: This is truly enough by itself - the beans are filling - but serving it with a side of chilli cheese no-knead focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread or two ingredient dough flatbreads always goes down well.

Nutrition