These creamy butter beans with lemon and dill are one of my favourite quick vegetarian dinners. Tender butter beans and courgettes cook together in a silky lemon and dill cream sauce, creating a comforting one-pan meal that’s both fresh and satisfying.
It’s the sort of dish that feels simple but still a little special – the kind of thing you can throw together on a weeknight but would also happily serve to friends with a big loaf of crusty bread for scooping up the sauce!
Because everything cooks together in a single pan, it’s also wonderfully easy. If you enjoy this style of cooking, you can find more easy dinners like this in my One Pan Dinner Recipes Hub, where I’ve gathered together lots of recipes that keep washing up to a minimum.
Why Butter Beans Work So Well in One-Pan Dinners
Butter beans are one of those ingredients that deserve to be used far more often than they are.
They have a wonderfully creamy texture and a gentle flavour that absorbs whatever you cook them with. In dishes like this one, they soak up the lemony cream sauce beautifully and become soft and comforting without needing much cooking time.
Because tinned butter beans are already cooked, they also make this recipe incredibly quick. Once they go into the pan they only need a few minutes to heat through and absorb the flavours of the sauce.
That makes them perfect for easy vegetarian dinners when you want something satisfying but don’t feel like cooking for hours.
The Flavours That Make This Dish Work
Although this recipe is very simple, the flavour combination is what makes it so good.
The butter beans provide the comforting base, while the courgettes bring a gentle sweetness and freshness. Lemon brightens the whole dish and stops the creamy sauce from feeling too rich, and dill adds that distinctive fresh, slightly grassy flavour that pairs beautifully with both beans and lemon.
The end result is a dish that feels both comforting and light at the same time – something that isn’t always easy to achieve with creamy recipes.
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
This recipe uses simple ingredients, but each one plays an important role in the finished dish.
- Olive oil – Used to soften the onion and start the flavour base of the sauce.
- Onion – Adds sweetness and depth as it cooks.
- Courgettes (zucchini) – Courgettes soften quickly in the pan and bring freshness and texture to the dish. If you have a glut of courgettes in the summer, this is a great way to use them.
- White wine – White wine adds a gentle acidity that balances the richness of the cream. If you prefer not to cook with wine, vegetable stock or water works perfectly well instead.
- Butter beans – Use tinned or jarred butter beans in water. Because they’re already cooked, they only need heating through.
- Cream – Single cream keeps the sauce light and silky, though you can use double cream for a richer result.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is essential here. It lifts the sauce and keeps the dish tasting fresh.
- Fresh dill – Dill works beautifully with lemon and beans. Fresh dill gives the best flavour, though you could also use parsley, basil or fennel fronds if needed.
Easy Variations
One of the reasons this recipe works so well is that it’s easy to adapt depending on what you have in the fridge.
- Add greens – A handful of spinach or kale stirred into the sauce at the end works very well.
- Add garlic – If you love garlic, sauté a couple of cloves with the onion at the beginning.
- Make it vegan – Simply swap the cream for a plant-based cream alternative.
- Add extra vegetables – Asparagus, peas or broad beans are all lovely additions, particularly in spring and early summer.
More One-Pan Recipes
If you enjoy simple one-pan dinners like this one, you might also like:
- One Pan Tomato and Mozzarella Gnocchi – THE most simple vegetarian baked gnocchi dish you will ever find!
- One Pot Mexican Bean Stew with Quinoa – packed with good things, this stew is as comforting as it is tasty.
- One Pot Mushroom and Thyme Risotto – a rich and comforting risotto that cooks entirely in one pan.
You can also explore more easy dinners in my One Pan Dinner Recipes Hub, where you’ll find plenty of ideas for meals that keep both effort and washing up to a minimum.
Creamy Butter Beans with Lemon and Dill
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 courgettes
- 100 millilitres white wine
- 800 grams butter beans tinned or jarred
- 200 millilitres single cream
- 1 lemon
- 20 grams fresh dill
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop the onion. Put the oil in a large pan on a medium heat and add the onion. Allow to soften for 2 minutes.
- Cut the courgettes in half lengthways then finely slice. Add to the pan with the onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes until starting to colour.
- Tip in the white wine (or vegetable stock) and let it bubble for two minutes, then add the butter beans, including any liquid from the tins.
- Cook for three minutes, then reduce the heat to low and pour in the cream. Stir well. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the pan. Finely chop the dill and add this too. Stir, then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Notes
What to Serve with Creamy Butter Beans
This dish is very satisfying on its own, but it’s even better with something to soak up that lemony cream sauce. My favourite option is a thick slice of sourdough bread, but it also works beautifully with:- toasted flatbreads
- warm focaccia
- simple rice or couscous
Storage and Reheating
This dish reheats beautifully, which makes it a great option for cooking once and eating twice. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. To reheat, warm gently in a saucepan on the hob until bubbling, adding a splash of water or stock if the sauce has thickened too much. It can also be reheated in the microwave for around 3–4 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Creamy, comforting, just delicious. Would also work amazingly as a side dish with some fish!