Canned butter beans carry plenty of starch of their own, so they thicken this tomato sauce as they simmer — no roux, no cream, just one pot and twenty minutes of mostly unattended time. It comes together from a stocked pantry: beans, crushed tomatoes, an onion, garlic. Serve with something crusty for mopping.

One-Pot Braised Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce

Scale

Method

Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
7 min
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the paste darkens slightly and everything smells toasty.
1 min
Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4 min
Stir in the butter beans. Partially cover and simmer, stirring every few minutes, until the sauce has thickened and clings to a spoon rather than pooling around the beans.
18 min
Remove the bay leaf. Taste and add more salt if the beans have muted it.
Ladle into bowls, scatter with parsley and feta if using, and serve with crusty bread for scooping.

Substitutions

Butter beans — Cannellini or great northern beans work the same way and need no change in timing.
Crushed tomatoes — Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand as you add them.
Feta — Grated parmesan, or leave it off entirely to keep the dish vegan.
Fresh red bell pepper — A jarred roasted red pepper, sliced and stirred in with the beans instead of cooked with the onion.

Storing leftovers

Keeps up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container and thickens further as it sits; loosen with a splash of water or stock when reheating on the stove. Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Questions

Can I use dried beans instead of canned?

Yes. Soak 1 1/4 cups dried butter beans overnight, then simmer in fresh water until just tender, about 45 minutes, before adding them to the sauce in place of the canned ones.

Is this vegan?

Yes, as long as you skip the feta and use vegetable stock, which is what the recipe already calls for.

Can I add greens?

Stir in a few handfuls of spinach or chopped kale during the last 5 minutes of simmering, until wilted.

Why only partially cover the pot?

It lets steam escape so the sauce reduces and thickens, while still holding enough moisture that the beans don't dry out or scorch on the bottom.