(One jar of) butter beans with preserved lemon, chilli, and herb oil from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - Shelf Love (page 15) by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad

Ingredients

coriander seeds
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thyme
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Serves : 4
EYB Comments

Can substitute canned chickpeas or canned cannellini beans for canned butter beans.

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

Eat Your Books

Can substitute canned chickpeas or canned cannellini beans for canned butter beans.
EmilyR on April 07, 2026

Made for a vegetarian friend recovering from surgery with homemade sourdough and other little mezze. My daughter was elated when she knew I was making these. Still a much loved favorite. My tricks - pulse the first ingredients in a vitamix and then add them to oil in the pan. Use good quality canned beans or if you find in a glass jar, so they don’t get squishy.
Chefalisha on April 05, 2026

Delicious and simple! Great as a mezze dish, probably too rich for more than that
treay on April 22, 2025

It is really simple to make. The result was spectacular. I served it with a green salad and halloumi. Will make it again and again... Used chickpeas instead.
EmilyR on March 02, 2025

At this rate, I have been making these beans for years and they remind me of something you could get at German wochenmarkt, so I usually make a double batch (or more!). I whole heartedly love this recipe and the layers of flavor. It's a great dish for brotzeit.
averythingcooks on December 23, 2022

I made this with great northern beans from my freezer. I seem to be the lone dissenter - they were good but I need to tweak things a bit when I try again. My cooked beans were perhaps too soft (I'll try canned next time - no jarred beans available here) and I wanted more beans compared to marinade. Sadly, I'm not as a big a fan of preserved lemon as I want to be - maybe zest is a better choice. Lastly, I would mince the rosemary as I didn't really like the texture/hit of the full leaves. That sounds like a lot but I really like the idea here...it just wasn't the home run I anticipated.
rhb on December 10, 2022

We loved this! I used 1/4 cup of Cheat's Preserved Lemon from OTK Extra Good Things and a large jalapeno instead of fresno. I let it get a bit brown and it was fine. It was great right away but we did let it sit for a couple of hours before adding the tomatoes. We warmed it up because we liked it warm better than at room temp. The tomatoes really diluted the flavors so I won't mix them in next time and could even skip them if not serving as a main dish. I used canned Goya lima beans.
joeljkp on December 04, 2022

Made this for dinner tonight with cannellini beans. First, I totally agree with the other notes - this is a truly "wow" flavor. And pretty easy too, if you mind that it should be made in advance. A couple specific notes: Watch any sticking to the pan during the 10-min higher-heat period. This happened to me and it resulted in more of a mashed-bean texture in the final dish. Second, watch the quantity of preserved lemons. I used Les Moulins Mahjoub brand from Whole Foods Market and got 45g of peel out of only 1 lemon. I wondered if the weights were associated with each lemon instead of a quantity of 3, but the way it was written is consistent with other weights later in the book. Anyway, the flavor was great with only one. I actually forgot to season the grated tomatoes and didn't miss it a bit. We ate this with broiled halloumi, naan, and white rice. Delicious if a bit spicy for some, so we would use only one chili next time.
Ganga108 on May 21, 2022

Made these gorgeous beans on Election day - everyone is nervous about the outcome this year. So I made my #vegetarian Democracy Sausage Rolls for everyone after we voted (as the local booths don't have veg options for the Democracy Sausages). It's a tradition on election days. Served with a side of onions, and tomato sauce, of course, and these beautiful beans. I used chickpeas a la the alternative. How easy and flavoursome they are. It is a stunning Autumn day and we sat around outside munching and chatting. I like the suggestions in the comments re serving on crostini, and they would go a treat with haloumi. These will become quite regular, I suspect.
catmummery on May 08, 2022

oh my goodness. Made these last night wqith some left over haricot beans (jar); flavours are sensational. so much more than you think. About to eat the left overs with pulled pork and coleslaw.
EmilyR on October 22, 2021

I went the long route with these soaking my own dry beans... just don't. I am doubting the efforts are substantial enough to notice. These are fantastic and another recipe to highlight the beauty of preserved lemons.
joneshayley on October 19, 2021

Made with cannellini beans (one tin= half recipe) - absolutely outstanding. The flavours are huge but well balanced. Lovely server as a main, a starter or on crostini. Served with grilled manouri - the lactic creamy cheese really complements the beans.