Curried Butter Beans

These Curried Butter Beans are a flavor-packed, plant-based dinner that is sure to make your taste buds sing. Creamy butter beans cook in a rich, fragrant red Thai curry broth infused with aromatic spices, creating a dish that’s perfect for enjoying on its own or serving over brown rice for sopping up the sauce. With butter beans packing plant-based protein and kale adding vitamin C, this recipe is bound to become a favorite. Read on for our best tips and tricks for making it below, including why cooking the spices is a crucial step.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen
These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

We cook the aromatics, including the curry paste and spices, in oil before adding the other ingredients. Why? Heat releases the oils within the spices, which results in a more complex flavor. They should be cooked for about a minute and should be stirred constantly to prevent burning.
If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, ginger paste is a good shortcut. Look for it in the produce section near the fresh herbs.
Red curry paste has a moderate heat level. If you want a milder dish, you can leave out the crushed red pepper or use yellow curry paste in its place. Want to turn up the heat? Use green curry paste, or simply add more crushed red pepper.

Nutrition Notes

Butter beansalso known as lima beans, provide plant-based protein and fiber. The combination of protein and fiber may help support healthy weight management and better blood sugar levels. Eating more beans may also lead to improved gut health and reduced risk for heart disease.
Tomatoes contain a group of carotenoids, including lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene, which may have anticancer properties. Cooked tomatoes, like the ones in this recipe, specifically may lead to lower prostate cancer risk in men.
Kale is a good source of vitamin C, which helps support healthy immunity, and vitamin A, which helps support eye health. The dark leafy green also provides phytonutrients that may reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

photographer: Jen Causey, food stylist: Julian Hensarling, prop stylist: Josh Hoggle