Miso Butter Brothy Beans with Scallions (2024)

ad-free/log-in

Need to join? Head here!

Forgot Password

04.7.20

Hello! You've landed on an older recipe. Sometimes the older recipes aren't written as clearly as they should be or something might need to be clarified. If something seems confusing or a question arises, send me an email and I'll help!

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

There's never a week that goes by that I don't have a couple of different kinds of cooked beans stashed in my refrigerator. I mostly use them in dishes with many other flavors, but occasionally I like a bowl of comforting beans. These brothy beans doctor up the original bean broth for a cozy meal.

The Brothy Beans

These brothy beans are a reliable way to make a myriad of beans. The dish works well with larger white beans (like Royal Corona or Gigante) but is just as lovely as the smaller white beans. Any bean that can hold it's shape through a second cook is excellent. I used great northern beans in this version.

Scallions, or alliums

Play around with the alliums you use. You could use a clove of minced garlic, some sliced green garlic, or some minced shallot. These beans aren't meant to be fussy. I've even enjoyed these beans with some minced chives when I haven't had anything else.

Miso

I tend to keep a container of white miso in the refrigerator for finishing soups and sauces. The white miso has a more mild flavor and is less salty than the darker misos. Yellow miso would work with these beans, but I'd start with one teaspoon and work your way up as desired. Red miso is going to be stronger and could potentially overpower the other flavors.

Vegan-it

This is one of those times that I feel the butter flavor is better than using just oil. If you can, swap the butter for a 1:1 butter substitute. I've played around with Miyokos and find it works well in recipes like this. If in a pinch, olive oil will work.

Miso Butter Brothy Beans

1 solid serving

A solid meal with just some bread, these brothy beans use the existing broth and add a few extra flavors.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

1 tablespoon butter
3-4 scallions (thinly sliced whites and greens)
1 cup cooked white beans (in their broth (see note))
2 teaspoons light miso
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
Freshly cracked black pepper

Melt butter in a small skillet. Add the sliced scallions and cook until the scallions are soft and just starting to brown. Add in the beans with their broth. Add more bean broth or even vegetable broth if needed. The broth should resemble a thin soup. I usually have to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more liquid, especially if the bean broth is on the thicker side.
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the liquid has thickened/reduced a bit. It's still going to be a bit brothy.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the miso and lemon juice. Taste and adjust as needed. Serve with a solid amount of black pepper.
This dish is a good-size serving for one person but could potentially be two if you were serving it with other items.

Notes

I've made this with three different types of white beans. I love it with larger beans (like the Royal Corona or Gigante beans), but it's also lovely with these smaller beans. I found the smaller beans thickened the broth more and I had to add more liquid. Just eyeball the liquid, it doesn't have to be perfect.
This dish is fantastic with beans made from dried beans. I make my beans by soaking, then cooking them with onions, garlic, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and salt. If you're using canned, I'd recommend draining some or all of the liquid and using a bit of vegetable broth. The color won't be the same, but it will still be useful.
If using salted butter, reduce the miso to 1 teaspoon and add more as you like. With such a small quantity, it's easy to make these beans too salty between the butter, the bean broth, and the miso.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time :10 minutes minutes

20 comments on “Miso Butter Brothy Beans with Scallions”

We have so much miso paste; what a great way to use it!
Reply
Wonder if this could work with black eyed peas? I have tons and am looking for ways to use them up. 🙂
Reply
1. Honestly, I think it would work just fine!
  Reply
  1. This was so delicious with the black eyed peas!Thank you!
    Reply
I made this last night for dinner using canned cannellini beans, and it was fantastic! We didn't have scallions, so I used thinly sliced red onions and they worked great. Thanks for this delicious yet easy recipe!
Reply
This a nice upgrade to a standard pot of beans. Great use part of pot of corona beans, but I wouldn't make the whole pound this way. Don't skip the scallions or lemon, they add a well-roundedness to the dish.
Reply
1. Totally agree! I use this more as a simple one-off meal than the entire pot!
  Reply
Delicious! We used mayo cobra beans and I cooked them in the instant pot with rosemary, garlic, bay leaf, salt and onion powder. We also reconstituted some shiitake and used some of the water in the bean broth. Come to find out, we are out of miso. 🤦🏼‍♀️ So I had to sub some veggie stock. It was delicious and I can only imagine how much better it would be with miso! We served it with beets and beet greens, yogurt and green onions from our garden. Our 2 1/2 year old and 5 year old gobbled everything up!
See Also
Pizza Margherita Grilled Cheese
Reply
1. Thank you sharing that you made this incredible recipe in your Instant Pot--I want to, also! May I, very please, ask how many cups of dried beans did you use and how much water? Thank You!
  Reply
Eating these right now with Marcella beans. An absolutely perfect, easy lunch with homemade sourdough on the side.
Reply
This is so dope. I make with Swiss chard and finish with chile oil. I have made this THREE TIMES in a week!! Thank you!
Reply
Made this for a late dinner tonight, and it was comforting, flavorful, and all around perfect. The 4 teaspoons of miso ended up making the broth too salty, so I added some water to balance it out then put it back on the heat to simmer for a few. Next time, if I use the same brand of miso, I’ll reduce the amount to 2 teaspoons and taste as I go! The scallions added so much to the dish as well. Thanks for this great recipe!!
Reply
Delicious! I'm already looking forward to making this again.
Reply
AMAZING. I happened to use red miso and it’s still incredible (I love the stronger flavor). Such an easy and affordable weeknight dinner and I will definitely be incorporating this as we transition to fall!
Reply
Great Northern beans, chives and thyme from the garden. Will be perfect with a simple salad and chopped baked apples
Reply
What’s the best way to make this with dried beans? I soaked and cooked but they seemed undercooked by the time I was done. Wasn’t sure the best process
Reply
1. Cook the dried beans fully and then use the cooked beans + their liquid for this!
  Reply
These beans are so simple and so incredible! I used rancho Gordo marcella beans, cooked them with carrot, celery, garlic and onion until tender, then followed your recipe. I just love these beans.
Reply
I couldn't believe how good it was. I found Greek Gigante beans in the bulk bin at the co-op and cooked them so that I could make this! Thanks for introducing me to Gigante beans and for this lovely meal. <3
Reply
Simple and delicious! I served with some toasted ciabatta and it was perfection.
Reply

Welcome to my little internet nook. On this site you'll find over a thousand vegetarian recipes, pantry knowledge, and more. I'm ever obsessed with food from gardening, cooking, and preserving. I hope you'll find endless inspiration on these pages and visit often.

Virtual hugs, Erin (aka: e.l.l.a.)

Visit our YouTube channel

A NATURALLY NEWSLETTER

PREORDER!