One pan, 20 minutes, legitimately good dinner. Butter beans in a harissa and tomato sauce, finished with plant-based cream cheese that melts into something rich and smooth, with shredded Tuscan kale wilted in at the end. Serve it with bread to get into the sauce or spoon it over rice for something more substantial.
The tomato paste and harissa go into the pan before any liquid — cooking them in the oil for a minute or two removes the raw edge and deepens both flavors before the beans and bean liquid go in. Don’t skip that step.
20 minutes · Serves 4 · Vegan
What You Need
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste — brands vary in heat; taste before adding more
- 2 cans (14 oz / 400g each) butter beans, drained — reserve 1 cup of the liquid before draining
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup reserved bean liquid — not plain water; this adds body to the sauce
- ½ cup (120g) plant-based cream cheese
- 2 cups Tuscan kale (cavolo nero), shredded — or regular kale, or spinach
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make It
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Stir in the tomato paste and harissa and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The pastes will darken slightly and become fragrant.
Add the drained butter beans, Italian seasoning, and the cup of reserved bean liquid. Stir to coat the beans in the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Lower the heat. Stir in the plant-based cream cheese until it fully melts into the sauce — add it on low heat and stir immediately; high heat can cause it to separate. Add the shredded kale and cook for 2 to 3 minutes just until wilted.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Serving
- Crusty bread — the sauce is worth chasing around the bowl
- Steamed white rice or couscous
- Over mashed potatoes
- With a fried egg on top if you eat eggs — it works well
A Few Swaps
- Spinach instead of kale — wilts in 30 seconds rather than 2–3 minutes
- Regular canned chickpeas or white beans if you can’t find butter beans
- Dairy cream cheese works identically if you’re not vegan
Make This on a Weeknight
This is the kind of recipe that becomes a regular once you’ve made it. The harissa and cream cheese together do something to the sauce that’s genuinely hard to put down — spicy and rich and a little tangy all at once. It’s in the pan start to finish in twenty minutes and it eats like something that took longer.
Tell me in the comments what you served it with and whether you went mild or hot on the harissa. Rate the recipe, save it on Pinterest, and subscribe for more.
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Harissa Butter Beans
Butter beans simmered in a harissa and tomato paste sauce with onion and garlic, finished with plant-based cream cheese for richness and Tuscan kale stirred in at the end. A 20-minute one-pan dinner that works over rice or with bread. Vegan.
- Total Time20 minutes
- Yield4 servings 1x
Ingredients
The Beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 2 cans butter beans, drained — reserve 1 cup of the liquid (14 oz / 400g each)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 240 ml reserved bean liquid (1 cup)
- 120 g plant-based cream cheese (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups Tuscan black kale (cavolo nero), shredded — or regular kale
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Build the Sauce
- Cook the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the pastes: Stir in the tomato paste and harissa paste. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly — cooking the pastes directly in the pan before adding liquid develops their flavor and removes any raw, tinny edge from the tomato paste.
Add Beans and Simmer
- Add beans and liquid: Add the drained butter beans, Italian seasoning, and 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid. Stir to coat the beans in the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
Finish with Cream Cheese and Kale
- Stir in cream cheese and kale: Add the plant-based cream cheese and stir until it’s fully melted into the sauce and the whole thing is smooth and creamy. Add the shredded kale and cook for 2–3 minutes, just until wilted. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
The reserved bean liquid (aquafaba) adds body to the sauce and thickens it slightly as it simmers — don’t substitute with plain water. Harissa paste brands vary significantly in heat level; start with 1 tablespoon and taste before adding more. The plant-based cream cheese should be added off the heat or on very low heat and stirred in immediately — high heat can cause it to separate. Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) holds up better than regular kale in a quick cook; spinach can be used instead for an even faster wilt.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, North African-inspired
Nutrition
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 520
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 42
- Fiber: 12
- Protein: 14
