Lemon and Dill Butter Beans
Across the Greek and eastern Mediterranean table, big creamy butter beans turn up braised two ways: in a rich tomato sauce, or the lighter, lemony style here, closer to a bean fasolia lemonata. This version keeps things bright and green, letting the sweetness of slow-cooked onion and the lift of lemon and dill do the work that oil and salt usually do. Butter beans, sold dried or frozen as large limas, are cheap and cook to a texture that genuinely earns the name. A little no-salt bouillon and the beans' own starch thicken the pan into a light sauce with nothing added. Serve it as a side next to grains or greens, or make it the center of a plate with good bread-free flatbread to mop the pan.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Lima beans, cooked butter beans, drained
- 1 Yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 Lemon, zested, then juiced
- 1/3 cup Dill, chopped
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion in a wide pan with a splash of water over medium heat until soft and beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 10 minutes, adding water as needed. Taking the onion past translucent to lightly golden builds a sweet depth that a lemony dish needs to keep from tasting thin.
- Add the sliced garlic and cook one minute, just until it smells sweet, not brown. Burnt garlic turns bitter and would fight the lemon, so pull back the heat the moment it becomes fragrant.
- Add the butter beans, the bouillon, and three quarters of a cup (180 ml) of water, and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes until the beans are hot through and a little of the liquid has thickened around them. Butter beans are delicate, so stir with a light hand or they break apart.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, half the zest, and the black pepper. Acid added off the heat stays bright, and lemon is what carries this dish in place of salt, so add the juice of the whole lemon and taste.
- Fold in the dill and parsley and scatter the rest of the zest over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature; like most braised beans it settles and deepens as it sits, so it is happy made a few hours ahead.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 180 calories, 9 g protein, 8 g fiber, 30 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
