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Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad for an Easy Vegetable Dinner
Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad is a quick, satisfying vegetable dinner with butterbeans, carrots, courgettes, fresh lemon, avocado and feta
Why You Will Love and Enjoy Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad
- It’s quick: The butterbeans and vegetables cook in about 15 minutes, making this a handy meal when you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen.
- It’s full of flavour: Fresh lemon, chili, ginger and garlic give the butterbeans plenty of punch without needing a complicated sauce.
- The salad balances everything: Creamy avocado and salty feta bring a cool, fresh contrast to the warm lemony vegetables.
- It’s flexible: Serve it on its own, alongside couscous, or add another grain if you want a more substantial meal.
- It’s easy to customize: Use your favourite vegetables or adjust the chili depending on how much heat you like.
Additional Information
- Can this be frozen? Yes, it can be frozen, but I wouldn’t recommend freezing the avocado and feta salad. The avocado can become soft and watery after thawing, while the texture of fresh feta may change.
- To freeze the butterbean mixture, allow it to cool completely, transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add a fresh avocado and feta salad when serving.
- How long can it be stored and how? The cooked butterbean mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it thoroughly before serving.
- The avocado and feta salad is best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day. The avocado may brown slightly, so a little lemon juice can help slow this down.
Substitute suggestions
- Butterbeans: Use cannellini beans, great northern beans or chickpeas.
- Courgettes: Substitute with sliced bell peppers, mushrooms or broccoli.
- Carrots: Sweet potato cut into small cubes would work, although it will need extra cooking time.
- Fresh chili: Use chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can also leave it out for a milder dish.
- Ginger and garlic paste: Use 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1 small garlic clove, finely minced.
- Lemon: If you don’t like cooked lemon peel, use the juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon instead.
- Feta: Try crumbled goat cheese or a salty vegan feta alternative.
- Avocado: The salad can be made without avocado, although you’ll lose some of the creamy texture.
- Green pepper: Red or yellow bell pepper will work just as well.
- Courgettes: If you’re in North America, zucchini is the same vegetable and can be used interchangeably.
A little kitchen note
This dish is best served straight away while the butterbeans and vegetables are warm and the avocado salad is fresh. If you’re making it ahead, prepare the butterbean mixture in advance and make the avocado and feta salad just before serving for the best texture.
Print
Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions depending on size 1x
- Category: Dinner Recipes
- Method: Easy Cooking
- Diet: VegetarianDiet
Description
This Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad is one of those easy meals that comes together without much fuss but still feels fresh and satisfying. The lemony butterbeans are packed with vegetables, while the creamy avocado and salty feta salad provide the perfect cool contrast.
Ingredients
Lemony Butterbeans
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1 chili, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, washed and cut into small cubes, seeds removed
- 1 cup carrots, washed, peeled if needed, and sliced
- 1 cup courgettes, sliced
- 2 cans butterbeans, drained and rinsed
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste, optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil, if needed for sautéing
Avocado Feta Salad
- 1 avocado, peeled and diced
- 1 block feta, cubed
- 1/4 onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Lemony Butterbeans
- Heat a large frying pan or sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil; if your pan needs it, then add 1 chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften.
- Add 1/2 tsp ginger and garlic paste and 1 finely chopped chili.
- Stir and cook for another minute. Keep an eye on the garlic so it doesn’t catch and turn bitter.
- Add 1 cubed lemon, making sure you’ve removed any seeds.
- Cook for about 1 minute, stirring as you go. Using the whole lemon gives the dish plenty of fresh and a zingy flavour
- Add 1 cup sliced carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- The carrots should start softening but don’t need to be completely cooked yet.
- Add 1 cup sliced courgettes and 2 cans of drained and rinsed butterbeans. Season with salt to taste and black pepper to taste, if using.
- Stir everything together and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring gently from time to time.
- The courgettes should be tender and the butterbeans heated through. You don’t need to add water. If the pan looks very dry, add a small splash of water or vegetable stock, but don’t turn this into a watery stew.
Avocado Feta Salad
- While the butterbeans are cooking, add 1 diced avocado, 1 cubed block of feta, 1/4 chopped onion and 1/4 chopped green pepper to a bowl.
- Season the salad with black pepper to taste and gently toss everything together. I wouldn’t add salt straight away because feta can be quite salty already.
- Serve the hot Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad alongside it.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Nazley
Warm lemony butterbeans, cool avocado and salty feta. That’s dinner sorted.
Lemony Butterbeans with Creamy Salad turns tender butterbeans and colourful vegetables into a fresh, satisfying meal with bright lemon, a hint of chili and a creamy avocado feta salad. The contrast of warm lemony butterbeans with cool avocado and salty feta makes this an easy dinner that’s full of flavour and ready for the table in no time.
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