Braised Butter Beans With Broccolini

Recipe from Amelia Telc

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Updated September 14, 2026

  • Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
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Ready In
55 min, plus overnight soaking
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At Bar Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., a platter of big, creamy butter beans is always on the menu, cooked simply with aromatics and topped with something highly seasonal, depending on the week and the chef Amelia Telč's mood. Here, the beans are paired with crisp, broiled broccolini with lemon juice and a bit of chile crisp on top, but feel free to switch things up. Ms. Telč has covered them with garlicky sautéed spigarello, smoked eggplant or olive tapenade. Ms. Telč buys her dried butter beans from Iacopi Farms in Half Moon Bay, Calif., so seek out similar ones (see Tip) and make sure to soak them overnight and cook them until they're completely tender all the way through. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: The Restaurant List 2026

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

For the Butter Beans

  • 2 cups dried butter beans, see Tip

  • Kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal

  • 1 small or medium yellow onion, cut in half

  • 1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally

  • 1 medium carrot

  • 1 medium parsnip

  • 1 large celery stalk

  • ½ lemon

  • 1 dried chile de árbol

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 6 sprigs fresh parsley

  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • Chile oil (preferably with a bit of sediment), for drizzling

For the Broccolini

  • 1 bunch broccolini (about ½ pound), tough stems trimmed

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Salt to taste

  • Juice from 1 lemon

  • 1 garlic clove

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

27 grams carbs; 199 calories; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 475 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak dried beans in 2 quarts of cold water mixed with 1 tablespoon salt; leave at room temperature to soak overnight.

  2. Step 2

    The following day, drain the soaked beans and place them in a large heavy pot along with the onion, garlic, carrot, parsnip, celery, lemon, chile, herbs, 2 tablespoons salt and olive oil. Cover with enough water to fully submerge the beans by a few extra inches — roughly 3 quarts of water total. 

  3. Step 3

    Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a simmer, skimming off any froth as needed. Adjust the heat to a gentle simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, then begin checking for doneness. The beans should have intact skins and a very creamy interior. If they're still chalky or al dente, allow them to keep cooking and check them every 5 minutes until done. They will continue to “cook” slightly as they cool.

  4. Step 4

     Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables, then pluck out as many of the herbs as possible with tongs. Stir in the vinegar and taste the broth for seasoning; it should be just slightly over-seasoned, which helps to flavor the beans.

  5. Step 5

     When ready to serve the beans, place a rack 6 inches under the broiler heating element. Heat the broiler to high. On a sheet pan, toss the broccolini in the olive oil and season with salt. Broil the broccolini until bright green, barely tender and starting to char on the ends, flipping halfway through, about 8 minutes total.

  6. Step 6

    Remove the broccolini from the oven and immediately drizzle with lemon juice. Using a microplane, finely grate the garlic over the broccolini and toss until well combined. Serve the beans with some of their cooking liquid, topped with the broccolini and drizzled with a spoonful of chile oil. 

Tips

  • Butter beans are an especially large, plump variety of lima beans that are ivory-colored rather than green. For the best results, seek out the best-quality dried butter beans you can find; Ms. Telč prefers those from Iacopi Farms, but also recommends those from Rancho Gordo. Any dried butter beans that have a plump, rounded appearance even when uncooked are likely to yield the best results. Gigante beans also work well.

  • Feel free to double the beans and freeze the extra for another use.

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Comments

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Annoferie

What to substitute for parsnips and chile de arbol? Neither are available where I shop.

NW

@Annoferie. Any kind of hot, dried chile will do. Replace the parsnip with an extra carrot. Neither substitution will make an appreciative difference from the original.

Tom Donaghey

Chiles de árbol are a dried-chili product. I mail order mine. They are a small and very spicy chili with a kind of nuttiness I really love. I agree with the recommendation to swap in carrots for parsnips, but the contrast can be appealing enough to recommend looking around…

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Credits

Adapted from Amelia Telč, Bar Panisse, Berkeley, Calif.

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