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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Popped Beans with Herbs

    Published: Dec 20, 2017 · Modified: Jul 28, 2020 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe

    Popped Beans with Herbs make a fantastic side dish. They're a super quick and easy dish that tastes great. Why popped? When you pan-fry them, they pop! Ready in 10 minutes with 5 ingredients.

    Herby Beans in a frying pan.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    These pan-fried fresh Popped Beans with herbs are bursting with fresh flavour.

    Pan-frying the beans gives them a lovely crispy texture that contrasts well with the soft inside.

    Some of the beans sort of 'pop' when they crisp up and get extra tasty.

    Then a huge handful of herbs freshens it up and adds loads of flavour.

    A delicious side dish, salad or soup-topper.

    Ingredients

    You don't need many ingredients for Popped Beans!

    Beans - I use butter beans (aka lima beans) as I love their almost potato-like texture, but you could try them with any white beans, chickpeas or other beans. Great Northern Beans or canellini beans work great, too.

    Garlic - everything is better with garlic, right? If you're not a fan (whaaat???), then just leave it out.

    Herbs - Use whatever fresh herbs you have to hand and it will be different every time. Tarragon, rosemary, thyme, parsley etc.. 

    Oil - Use your favorite frying oil. Coconut works too for a totally different flavor of dish.

    Salt and pepper

    What is a soup topper?

    It's easy to make soup extra special and personalised.

    First, you definitely need to start with a really good soup that you love.

    Then you can add all sorts of soup toppings to jazz it up and make the meal heartier!

    Try these crispy pan-fried beans on my vividly green healthy vegan kale soup. The fragrant herbs and crispy beans would elevate these veg-packed tasty soups to a heartier meal and make them extra special.

    Croutons are a great place to start, but if you get creative there are limitless possibilities. I love adding a protein, like these fresh herb beans (recipe below!) but you could also try everything from mushrooms to crispy onions.

    Favourite soup toppings

    Fresh herb popped beans
    Sauteed garlic mushrooms
    Toasted seeds
    Roasted chickpeas
    Parmesan crisps
    Toasted nuts
    Herby croutons
    Balsamic drizzle

    Soup recipes

    Soup toppings are perfect on these tasty soups:
    Vegan Lentil Soup
    Easy Tomato Soup
    Easy Pea Soup (4 ingredients)
    Zucchini Soup with Basil (courgette)
    Beetroot Soup

    Be sure to also check out my roundup of  25+ Delicious Vegan Soup Recipes!

    Bowls of soup with pan fried beans.

    Side dish serving suggestions

    But you can do much more with these sauteed beans than top soup with them!

    I love them so much that I'd eat them cold as leftovers from the fridge.

    Jamie Oliver has a popped beans recipe that he serves for brunch with baked eggs and tomatoes - that's a tasty way to enjoy them, too.

    Try them as a healthy, protein-packed side dish with these recipes:

    Vegan Fajitas
    Portobello Mushroom Steaks
    Persian Tofu Veg Skewers
    Mushroom Stroganoff

    Bowl of soup with sauteed beans.

    Recipe

    If you make this easy herby beans recipe, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram or other social media. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes.

    Herby Beans in a frying pan. A simple, easy and fresh side dish or soup topper.

    Sauteed Popped Beans

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    Sauteeing beans with garlic until slightly crisp and then tossing them with loads of fresh herbs makes a tasty and quick soup topping or side dish! Vegan and gluten free.  
    5 from 5 votes
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    Prep Time 3 mins
    Cook Time 7 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 149 kcal

    Equipment

    • Frying pan

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 can white beans (400g / 15 oz can) I used butter beans/lima beans
    • 1 garlic clove crushed
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 large handful roughly chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, coriander, thyme

    Instructions
     

    • Drain and rinse the beans, then pat them dry with a tea towel.
    • Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the garlic and beans. Cook, stirring or tossing occasionally, for 5 minutes or until slightly crispy. Mix in the fresh herbs.
    • Enjoy as a side dish or as a soup topping.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 149mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 3gVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2.3mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

    More Side Dish Recipes

    • Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
    • Easy Baked Polenta Fries
    • Crock Pot Black Beans
    • Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nora

      December 30, 2017 at 10:36 pm

      Oh wow! Looks super delicious, I love the color of that soup! And beans for sure are a good topping for that, yum. 🙂

      Reply
    2. rochel

      December 27, 2017 at 10:01 am

      5 stars
      yummm..
      it sounds tasty and healthy .
      i would love to make it and taste it !
      great post with yumm recipey

      Reply
    3. Becca Talbot

      December 25, 2017 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      I love butter beans too, I find the texture really creamy and they're really filling beans. These soup toppers sound delicious ???? X

      Reply
    4. Crystal

      December 24, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      This is such a great recipe for soup.We always make soup more often in the winter months.

      Reply
    5. Diane Wilkins

      December 24, 2017 at 4:34 am

      5 stars
      This looks sooooooo good. Can't wait to give it a try. Nothing is than a bowl of soup in this cold weather. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    6. Hannah

      December 23, 2017 at 3:45 pm

      IVe never though to do soup toppers - I need to try!

      Reply
    7. Ali - We Made This Life

      December 22, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Ooh I wouldn't have thought of having a soup topper, these look really delicious and I bet they make the soup more hearty and filling too.

      Reply
    8. Elizabeth

      December 22, 2017 at 4:37 pm

      5 stars
      What a lovely soup topper! I confess I had no idea lima beans were butter beans, lol! Consider me educated!

      Reply
    9. REbecca

      December 22, 2017 at 10:49 am

      These beans look delicious! I've never thought of pan frying beans before. I made soup the other week with beans in it but it didn't turn out too well! I'm pinning this to remind me to try it 🙂

      Reply
    10. Laura

      December 22, 2017 at 9:55 am

      Ohh I love slightly chunky soups and ones with toppers as it makes it a little bit more substantial. This herby bean topper looks delicious and such a good idea

      Laura x

      Reply
    11. Stacey MacNaught

      December 21, 2017 at 2:19 pm

      I love the look of this recipe. We're always making soups over the winter months (me and my slow cooker are in love between September and March!). So I'll be trying the herby bean topping in that post-leftovers bit before New Year 🙂

      Thank you

      Reply
    12. Rebecca | AAUBlog

      December 21, 2017 at 9:49 am

      I'm all for cooking from scratch, and these sound like a good alternative to traditional croutons 🙂

      Reply
    13. Lynne Harper

      December 20, 2017 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      I love items made at home 🙂 I also love a good warm soup in winter time. I haven't really thought of soup toppers before but these sound delicious

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Healthy Recipes

    • Butternut Squash Salad
    • Easy Healthy Cabbage Soup
    • Easy Vegan Ramen (15 minutes)
    • Rajma Masala (Kidney Bean Curry)

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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