Beans are often a big part of a vegan diet. Fortunately there are countless varieties of beans and ways to flavor them. Today’s recipe is butter beans flavored with fresh herbs. We found this vegan bean recipe to be very satisfying. I served it this time with a vegetable gumbo. You can find that recipe here.
You may be tempted to use canned beans because they are quicker. But using dried beans is much cheaper. The secret is to soak the beans over night to shorten the cooking time. Then you can start them a few hours before you plan to eat them. I add the seasonings and flavoring during the last hour. This helps keep the flavors fresh and vibrant. To see my formula for cooking beans check out this video.
I’ve used fresh herbs out of my garden in this dish. You can vary the herbs you use based on what you can find. Dry herbs will do if you can’t find fresh but do try to use the fresh ones. I highly recommend that you start your own herb garden if at all possible. You can even grow them in pots if you don’t have garden space. Many herbs only need to be planted once and then you can enjoy them for many years to come.
Check out this oil-free recipe and give it a try.
- 2 cups dried butter beans
- Water
- Several sprigs each of fresh sage, thyme, oregano and parsley or you choice of herbs.
- 1 cup chopped celery including the tops if you have them
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1-2 hot peppers minced (remove seeds to reduce heat)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1-2 tsp cumin powder
- 1-2 tsp salt
- Wash and remove stones and discolored beans
- Cover in fresh water and let soak overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- Drain beans and rince
- Cover the beans with fresh water again and simmer partially covered for 2-3 hours or until soft but not quite done.
- Add the fresh herbs and continue cooking while you prepare the onions etc.
- Place the chopped veggies and the cumin powder in a dry skillet and sauté until onions are soft. Add a few TBLs of water as needed to keep it from sticking.
- Add the sautéd veggies to the beans and stir to mix well.
- Continue simmering the beans for another 30-60 minutes or until they are very soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Add the salt and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Serve over rice.
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