At the end of the gardening season, I am always bringing in loads of cherry tomatoes. These little gems are such a treat because they are the sweetest tomato around. I love turning them into rustic sauces, like I do in this cherry tomato stewed butter beans over toast recipe.
Butter beans are also known as lima beans. They’re renaming is apt because these beans really do have a moist and buttery center. You could also make this recipe with white beans, but don’t be intimidated by the large butter bean. In my opinion, they are better!
When stewing the beans, you can stop the cooking when the sauce gets to a consistency that you like. I made mine very thick so it was manageable to eat like toast. You could leave the sauce really thin and serve it in a bowl like stew over bread.
Beans over toast is such a simple dish, I feel like it is over looked as a good meal option. However, I think this recipe highlights how quality ingredients can really make something simple extraordinary!
Tips and Tricks for the Cherry Tomato Stewed Butter Beans over Toast recipe:
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are one of the sweetest tomatoes around. No other tomato is going to have the same flavor profile. They are the small round tomatoes, not the oblong grape tomatoes which are much less sweet.
- Bread: You want a quality bread that has a crusty edge. I used a sesame pave, but ciabatta, baguette, or boule should all be nice crusty breads.
- Beans: Butter beans are also known as lima beans. You can buy them in a can or cook your own from dry. Other white beans could be used in this recipe, but I prefer the butter beans for their creamy consistency.
- Vegan: Use olive oil in place of the butter and omit the Parmesan garnish. You could garnish with pine nuts or nutritional yeast if desired.
- 2 TBS butter or olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Red pepper flake, to taste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (from 1 pint)
- 15 oz can butter beans, drained (1 ½ cup cooked lima beans)
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 TBS dry white wine
- 4 slices quality crusty bread
- Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Melt 1 TBS butter in a skillet, or use olive oil. Add garlic cloves and red pepper flake and saute for about 1 minute, or until the garlic just starts to turn golden.
- Mix in cherry tomatoes, butter beans, basil, salt, and pepper,. Cook until the tomato starts to break down.
- Mix in the dry white wine and cook until the sauce is reduced and very thick.
- Toast the bread and spread with remaining butter, or a drizzle of olive oil.
- Serve the toast topped with the butter bean mixture and grated parmesan (optional).
