Lunch has always been one of those meals that I refuse to spend more than 15 minutes making. Which is why this spicy butter bean toast is my go-to quick and easy lunch.
This healthy butter bean toast is a combo of toasty sourdough, topped with vegan ricotta, pesto and spicy garlic butter beans. It basically tastes like a pesto pizza!
Did I mention that just one serving of this toast packs in over 15g of plant-protein?
But What Are Butter Beans?
Butter beans, also known as lima beans, originate from South America, Lima, Peru to be exact which is where the name lima beans comes from.
Most grocery stores sell mature butter beans, which have a smooth creamy texture and butter-like flavor; hence the name. Butter beans also soak up flavors and sauces really well, and taste best stir-fried in a pan with loads of spices, aromatics and olive oil.
Butter Bean Toast Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this butter bean toast recipe. As always, the full recipe with detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
- Butter beans: Jovial, Eden Foods or STRIANESE Butter Beans are my go-to brands.
- Vegan pesto: Seggiano and Sprouts Vegan Basil Pesto are my favorite store-bought pestos. But of course my homemade basil pesto is my favorite (sometimes I just don’t have time to prepare it though).
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Parsley
- Vegan ricotta: Kite Hill’s vegan ricotta cheese is my go-to (simple ingredients with no additives).
- Sourdough bread
Tips and Tricks…
This easy butter bean toast is pretty foolproof, but outlining a few things to help you make this recipe perfectly.
- Cook the garlic until translucent. This will ensure the garlic is thoroughly cooked through and is mild and sweet in flavor.
- Wash the beans thoroughly. All the ‘gassy’ compounds from beans sit in that thick liquid in the can, so be sure to rinse the beans very well with cold water.
- Top the toast with oregano buds. They make the toast taste so much like a pizza!
Even More Easy Lunch Recipes
- The Best Avocado Toast
- Chickpea Tuna Salad (tastes great with seed crackers or on top of toasty sourdough)
- Mushroom Ricotta Toast
If you make this recipe, please leave a review and rating below. And don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me on either Instagram or TikTok (if you’re not already following me, make sure to for new recipes and wellness tips)!
Print
Spicy Butter Bean Toast
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Description
This healthy butter bean toast is a combo of toasty sourdough, topped with vegan ricotta, pesto and spicy garlic butter beans.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3–4 tbsp vegan pesto (I make my own pesto using the recipe here)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup butter beans
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Handful of parsley, finely chopped
- 1 slice sourdough bread or Ezekiel bread
- Vegan ricotta (love Kite Hill vegan ricotta)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil into a pan, and heat on medium heat. Once shimmering, add in the pesto, lemon juice, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic becomes transparent, then add in the butter beans. Continue cooking until the beans are piping hot, about 2 minutes. Lastly, stir in the parsley and adjust for seasoning.
- To serve, toast a slice of sourdough bread, spread a generous layer of vegan ricotta over top, followed by a generous scoop of the pesto butter beans. I like to top my toast with an extra squeeze of lemon and oregano buds.
Notes
I like to cook the pesto into the butter beans, but feel free to leave it out and spread it on the toast as pictured; both versions taste amazing!
So easy, simple, healthy, and delicious!
I don’t like/tolerate dairy or dairy substitutes; I used plain hummus instead of ricotta & it’s was perfect for me. I also make my own vegan pesto and used in this recipe. Only other change was cracked wheat sourdough.
What a lovely idea, thank you!!
Ok, I need to try hummus in this recipe now, sounds amazing! So happy to hear that you liked this, thank you for sharing Olga!
Delicious way to use my can of butter beans and leftover (non vegan) ricotta for a quick lunch! I love it!! Perfect amount of heat and great textures.
So happy you liked this, thank you so much for leaving such a lovely review Gwen!! 🫶🏼