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Could the classic Neapolitan recipe really be improved? Yes, it could! Butter beans puttanesca combines the briny, sea-faring deliciousness of the famous tomato-based puttanesca sauce with creamy, smooth-centred butter beans for a double punch of flavour and fibre. Serve as a main or side dish.
New to puttanesca recipes? Try the authentic spaghetti puttanesca too, or for a cool, summery, bean-based salad version, white bean puttanesca.
Now, let’s talk anchovies before you click away.
You know me, my cooking philosophy is ‘cook the meal, not the recipe’, which basically means, cook what you/ your family/ guests/ partner will want to eat not what the recipe dictates. For example, if you know they’re no way touching a chickpea, use a different legume. Not keen on dill? Leave it out. Run out of spinach? Use kale.
However. Anchovies are a fundamental component of puttanesca sauce. There’s no avoiding or substituting for that. So, today I am going to convince you to stick to the recipe and face the consequences (which will be diners requesting seconds, by the way.)
My butter beans puttanesca recipe calls for just 3 or 4 anchovy fillets, each about the length of your pinkie finger. But if that still feels a fish or two too many, start with two. Or even one (see? I can’t help myself!) and build up. Just don’t skip them completely!
And don’t worry, the little tiddlers are fully integrated into the sauce while cooking, just gently simmering away infusing the tomato with a deep, salty and umami richness. Not fishy at all!
To sum up, the anchovies are subtle but essential. And if they’re not there, the dish is just olives and capers in tomato sauce.
Butter beans in puttanesca sauce
From its shady origins, the backstreet bordellos in Naples almost a century ago, Puttanesca sauce has risen to worldwide fame today. It’s eaten in authentic trattorias, Italian-style restaurants, and is a super simple recipe recreated by time-pressed home cooks on the regs.
Made from standard store cupboard staples it’s easy to see why it has been adopted beyond its homeland. The classic sauce is a mouthful of Mediterranean bliss; olive oil, garlic, anchovies, crushed tomatoes, capers, and kalamata olives. I can’t resist a sprinkle of parsley too to further draw out the briny notes.
And the butter beans? Not so traditional, granted! But they make a brilliant alternative to pasta. Firstly, they’re full of fibre, so if that’s what you’re prioritising right now, this is a simple swap. Second, beans and tomato sauce just works- ask any Brit! The smooth-centred texture and mild creaminess is particularly pleasing paired with this sassy puttanesca!
Important recipe tips and notes
- Swapping traditional spaghetti for beans means a high-fibre meal.
- Choose your favourite bean. I like bulky butter beans, but cannellini, haricot or even darker-skinned pinto or borlotti are all worthy.
- Don’t discard the bean liquid! Add it to the sauce for a thicker consistency.
- Give anchovies a go! Trust me!
- Definitely not? Try this Italian-inspired butter bean recipe instead.
What goes with it
Any butter bean in tomato sauce recipe can be relied upon either to take centre stage as the main event of the meal or support the star as a side dish. Take basil pesto butter beans with prosciutto or balsamic cherry tomato butter beans, for additional examples.
As a main dish, serve with just-cooked greens, lemony tenderstem broccoli would be my choice, or a fresh garden salad. Don’t forget a hunk of crusty bread for soaking up the lip-smacking tomato sauce.
This butter bean recipe is a saucy and intensely flavoured one, so stick to simple mains like grilled or roasted meats that won’t fight with the puttanseca power! I recently topped my bowl of beans with slices of prosciutto-wrapped chicken. Leftover roast chicken will do too, or a fresh-off-the grill ribeye steak.
Storage and leftovers
Butter beans in puttanesca sauce is one of those glorious dishes that develops with time, meaning leftover butter beans are even more flavoursome the next day. They will keep in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat on the stovetop and serve with a thick slice of white sourdough toast for a punchy lunch.
More side dishes to try
- Gambas Pil Pil
- Spanish Ensaladilla Rusa
- Spanish Spinach and Chickpeas
- Spanish Butter Beans in Romesco Sauce
Butter Beans Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 anchovies, packed in oil
- 400g / 14 oz This is an affiliate link.canned chopped tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes (good quality)
- 2 tbsp capers
- 80g / 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted
- 400g / 14 oz This is an affiliate link.butter beans, canned or jarred with their liquid
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then sauté the anchovies in olive oil over low heat while stirring and breaking them up with the wooden spoon for a minutes, they will start to turn into a paste, add garlic and continue stirring for about 30 seconds longer.
- No pour in the canned chopped tomatoes, add the capers and olives with a small pinch of salt, bring to a simmer, then stir in the butter beans with their liquid and continue simmering over low heat for 15 minutes.
- At the end of the cooking time the tomatoes will break down into a sauce, which will reduce in volume by a third. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve with chopped parsley and crusty bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
