Creamy butter bean salad with ricotta, fresh herbs, and lemon dressing. A light, protein-packed recipe perfect for lunch or entertaining.
This is a lovely 10 minute side that's leans toward fancy. I love the tart little capers on top, the crunchy pine nuts, and the burst of flavor from the fresh basil and lemon zest.
Save this Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I've had a fascination with butter beans for awhile. They're just so big and I love them. Butter bean salad is a very brunchy, light spring or summer side that I love to pair with salads, grilled chicken, or easy cheddar garlic biscuits and homemade tomato soup (from canned tomatoes).
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: The meaty butter beans tossed in olive oil and garlic with the creamy ricotta is dreamy. The capers on top are the perfect amount of tart to add a little acidity without making it too strong.
- Ease: Beginner! No oven required, just a few minutes on the stovetop to cook the garlic and toast the pine nuts.
- Time: 10 minutes start to finish. SO easy.
📝 Ingredient Notes
- Butter beans - big, creamy, and very mild in taste.
- Ricotta - chosen for its creamy texture and mild flavor. Lots of options to substitute it with below!
- Capers - these are pickled flower buds of the caper bush and have a salty, briny flavor. They're pretty common in mediterranean food and I love the tang that they add!
- Lemon - I use lemon instead of vinegar mainly because of the zest, but you could always try using a white wine vinegar.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Ricotta - easily swapped out with mozzarella balls, burrata, feta, farmers cheese, or even marinated tofu for a vegan version.
- Capers - could be replaced with chopped green olives or pickled onion.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Step 2. Add pine nuts and toast for 1 more minute.
- Step 3. Add butter beans (no need to rinse) and warm through, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.
- Step 4. Add salt and pepper to ricotta and mix until combined.
- Step 5. Add in lemon zest and stir.
- Step 6. Scoop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the beans. Add capers and shredded fresh basil on top. Add fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste. Enjoy!
TIP: I use a cookie scoop to scoop the ricotta into nice evenly sized portions.
📌 Troubleshooting
- Beans too mushy: stirred/cooked too long - make sure to stir gently when warming the beans, and only cook them long enough to heat them and coat them in the marinade.
- Ricotta falls flat - I love it when they melt into the warm bean salad but if a cold salad is what you're going for, make sure to cool the beans down to at least room temp before adding the scoops of ricotta.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Around 4 days, I think the beans taste better after marinating in the lemon juice and olive oil overnight and then served with the ricotta the next day. Delicious!
Yes! Super easy to make ahead. You can make the beans/olive oil lemon marinade separately from the ricotta and then scoop it onto the bean salad before serving.
Some of our favorites are burrata, feta, or mozzarella pearls. However you could also use goats cheese, marinated tofu, etc.
🍽️ Serving Ideas
- As a side dish to a pasta like creamy boursin orzo
- Great to serve alongside homemade tomato soup with canned tomatoes
- With simple grilled chicken or a green salad and soft french bread
🥗 More Yummy Side Dish Recipes
All of these sides have beans or a lemony twist!
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Butter Bean Salad with Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 2 (16 oz) cans butter beans drained
- 6 Tablespoons ricotta cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (½ lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons sliced basil
- 2 Tablespoons capers drained
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- Add pine nuts and toast for 1 more minute.⅓ cup pine nuts
- Add butter beans and warm through, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish.2 (16 oz) cans butter beans
- Add salt and pepper to ricotta and mix until combined.6 Tablespoons ricotta cheese , ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- Add in lemon zest and stir.1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Scoop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the beans. Add capers and shredded fresh basil on top. Add fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste. Enjoy!2 Tablespoons sliced basil, 2 Tablespoons capers
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
I actually liked this warm instead of cold but the flavors soak in more the next day if refrigerated.