Cheesy Baked Butter Beans: How This Social-Media Darling Became A Craze – The Globe and Mail
Great Taste from the Garden: How to Enjoy the Deliciousness of Butter Beans
Do you yearn for a burst of flavor and nutritional goodness in your meals? Besides being filled with important daily vitamins and minerals, butter beans add incredible flavor to the plate. Learn here how to add butter beans to your garden and your favorite recipes.
What Are Butter Beans?
From lima bean to butter bean, it’s all just a matter of marketing. Yes, the name does help in selling, as butter beans are a bigger, creamier type of lima beans. Even their names in other countries — like double beans in India — revolve around the creamy, buttery taste.
In the world of legumes, they are considered a pulse, made from the edible seeds of plants in the legume family. Packed with fiber, protein, and a plethora of vitamins and minerals, butter beans are naturally healthy.
Why Butter Beans Are Great for Cooking
Butter beans are easy to incorporate into meals. Dried, canned, or frozen, these creamy beans are incredibly versatile — making them an easy shelf-stable option. Here are some tasty ideas to try:
• Soups: Add to any soup for some nutritional punch — butter beans pair great with creamy and chunky veggie soups
• Braising: Cook butter beans low and slow with seasonings in a covered pot for great flavor
• Pasta Dishes: Stir some cooked butter beans into your favorite pasta for smooth creamy texture
• One-Pot Meals: Take advantage of the creamy texture in your favorite one-pot meals — butter beans can stand their ground against any hearty ingredients
• Roasting: Ready for a mid-afternoon snack? Butter beans roasted with oil and seasonings can turn into crunchy bits for salads
How To Cook Butter Beans
It’s easy to cook these creamy beans in a number of ways. Here’s what you need to know:
• Soaking: Soaking butter beans is an easy way to jumpstart the hydration process. But it’s by no means necessary; you can cook the beans from dry.
• Simmering: When cooking from dry, simmer them in plenty of water with a pinch of salt.
• Salting: It’s a common misconception that dry beans won’t soften in salted water. Salt will help season your beans, and help soften their skins.
• Baking Soda: If your beans aren’t softening, add a pinch of baking soda into the pot to boost alkalinity.
The Delicious Possibilities of Cheesy Baked Butter Beans
When it comes to butter beans, simmered beans are the new baked beans. Simmered until tender, serve them up with a tomato sauce bath and top with cheesy goodness for an extra-special one-dish meal.
For an added twist, add cooked chunky pasta or gnocchi into the beans before baking with cheese. Or serve the butter beans straight with crusty bread for the perfect dipping accompaniment.
Spice Up Meals with Sweet and Savory Butter Beans
From soups to snacks and pasta dishes to one-pot meals, butter beans are an excellent source of dietary goodness and big flavor. Try experimenting with them to add a nutritional punch and deliciousness to all of your home-cooked meals.
Tantalize Your Taste Buds with the Deliciousness of Butter Beans