I was on the hunt for an alternative side dish for some sous vide steak my partner was cooking. (Side note: sous vide steak is AMAZING. We’ve been using this sous vide precision cooker from Anova). He can handle the meat just fine, but usually forgets about sides altogether. I wanted something on the healthier side, but was jonesing for mashed potatoes. I found many a recipe for white bean purée as a substitute for mashies, but I also wanted something EASY.
So I adapted some white bean purée recipes into a very weeknight-friendly side dish with lots of garlic and buttery flavor. It’s healthier than your usual carb-y side, which can be made even healthier by reducing some of the butter and adding in more veggies as you like.
It only takes about 20 minutes to make, can easily be made ahead of time, and tastes REALLY good. They give you that comfort food feeling without all the calories. Here are some more side dishes to try if you need more ideas.
Anyone else trying out sous vide cooking? How are you liking it?
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Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter (or vegan butter for vegan option)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Two 15-ounce cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth for a vegan option)
- Salt and black pepper
- Optional: grated Parmesan
- Optional: chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the beans, chicken broth, thyme, and onion powder and simmer over medium-high heat until the broth is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
- Puree the bean mixture in a blender or food processor (I used this one).
- Season with salt and pepper, top with optional Parmesan and parsley, and serve warm.
- Store puree in the refrigerator for up to three days.
If you make this recipe, follow me on Instagram, share a photo, and tag it #BIJOUXANDBITS. I’d love to see what you’re cooking!
Catherine Clark is a Chicago native sharing noteworthy things she sees and attempts to make in the world. She's a geek, cat lady, designer and editor by day, and noob chef by night.
This looks so refreshing and delicious.
Thanks for taking a peek! I love how summery it is!
I’ve made some of your recipes before and they turned out fine, but this one was one big fail. First of all, there is a discrepancy between your ingredients list and your directions. You list garlic powder in your ingredients list but onion powder in the directions. By the time I caught the mistake it was too late, so my mashed beans were overly garlicky (and I like garlic). Secondly, after processing them for just several seconds in my processor, it became the consistency of a creamed soup. We had to eat these mashed beans in a bowl with our steak. I should have stuck to good old mashed potatoes. I won’t be making this one again. Sorry.
A puree us thin by nature…a potato purée while essentially the same ingredients as mashed potatoes is not the same thing.