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Tuscan Marry Me Butter Beans

Tuscan marry me butter beans in a creamy sun-dried tomato and heavy-cream sauce with wilted spinach and plenty of parmesan. The sauce simmers until lightly thickened, coating large butter beans for a spoon-tender, Italian-American main-dish skillet.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butter beans (large lima beans)
  • 3 can (15 oz) butter beans drained
Baby spinach
  • 3 cup baby spinach
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil chopped
Garlic
  • 5 clove garlic minced
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Chicken or vegetable broth
  • 0.5 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Parmesan
  • 0.5 cup parmesan grated
Olive oil from sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Crusty bread
  • 1 crusty bread for serving
Salt
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Sauté the Tuscan base
  1. Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then sauté the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, stirring often until fragrant and glossy.
  2. Add the heavy cream, broth, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, then bring to a simmer and keep it bubbling gently.
Simmer and thicken
  1. Add the butter beans, then simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and the beans are heated through.
  2. Stir in the baby spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted, turning the leaves so they sink into the sauce.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper until the sauce looks smooth and coats the beans.
  2. Serve the butter beans immediately with crusty bread so it soaks up the creamy sauce.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the sauce at a gentle simmer—if it boils hard, the cream can separate and look grainy. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; rewarm on the stove over low heat with a splash of broth if needed. Freezing is not recommended because the cream sauce can change texture. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a similar flavor with less richness.