If you’ve been scrolling past all those cozy “marry me” recipes, this one-pot Marry Me White Bean Skillet is about to steal your heart. It’s creamy and comforting, yet full of protein from the budget-friendly canned beans, so it actually fills you up and keeps you satisfied. The white beans make it creamy and hearty, while the sun-dried tomatoes add a rich, savory pop. I especially love how everything cooks together in one skillet, so the flavors really meld, and you’re not left with a sink full of dishes!
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Marry Me White Beans and Spinach
This recipe is my vegetarian version of the viral marry me chicken, made with pantry staples and a whole lot of comfort. The white beans give it a super satisfying texture, while the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, heavy cream, and basil layer in big flavor. I have to admit, I wasn’t always a sun-dried tomato person, but this dish made me a convert, and now I can’t stop cooking with them! They add SO much flavor with so little effort. Serve these creamy white beans with crusty bread, spoon them over pasta or rice, or load them onto a baked potato for a really comforting meal. I think you’ll fall for this one just like I did!
Recipe Success Tips
- Keep it at a gentle simmer. After adding the cream, keep everything at a low simmer to maintain a smooth sauce. Boiling can cause the cream to separate.
- Use a different white bean. Even though this recipe uses canned cannellini beans, you can easily switch them out for other white beans you have on hand. Great options include Great Northern beans, navy beans, or butter beans.
- Make it vegan. Swap the cream for full-fat coconut milk or a plant-based creamer, and use a vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast to make this marry me white bean skillet.
Marry Me White Bean Skillet
Cost $5.61 recipe / $1.40 serving
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes ($0.00*)
- ½ cup yellow onion (diced, $0.39)
- 1 Tbsp garlic (minced (about 2 cloves) $0.24)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes ($0.05)
- 31 oz. canned white beans (two 15.5 oz cans, $1.72)
- ½ cup vegetable broth (4 oz., $0.06**)
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil (chopped, $1.28)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- ¼ cup frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry, (30g) $0.12***)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (2 oz., $0.42)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated, (24g) $0.37)
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil (sliced into thin strips, (julienned) $0.89****)
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the sundried tomato oil. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, or until the onion is soft and fragrant.
- Add the white beans (with their liquid), broth, sundried tomatoes, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to develop and the liquid to slightly reduce.
- Stir in the spinach, heavy cream, Parmesan, and basil. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes until creamy and heated through.
- Spoon into bowls and serve warm with crusty bread or over rice. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Marry Me White Bean Skillet step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Sauté the onion and garlic: Heat 1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ½ cup diced onion, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is softened and fragrant.
Add broth and seasonings: Add two 15.5 oz. cans of white beans along with the liquid from the can, ½ cup vegetable broth, ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ tsp salt, and ½ tsp Italian seasoning.
Simmer: Stir to combine, then let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes so the flavors meld and the liquid reduces slightly.
Make it creamy: Stir in ¼ cup frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed), ¼ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbsp julienned fresh basil. Continue to gently simmer for about 5 minutes, until everything is warmed through and the sauce is creamy.
Serve: Spoon into bowls and serve. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
These marry me white beans are delicious all on their own, but they’re also great with a side or two. I really like them spooned over a baked potato, tossed with pasta, or served with rice. Our mushroom rice is seriously delicious with the creamy sauce and a step up from plain white rice! I also almost always serve it with something to soak up the sauce, like a store-bought sourdough or a simple homemade tomato and basil no-knead bread. You can even spoon it over a toasted baguette and serve it as a hearty appetizer when you’re feeding a crowd!
Storage & Reheating
Let your marry me white bean skillet cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I’ve also found that this dish freezes surprisingly well! Portion it into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. To reheat, warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of broth, milk, or water if it’s thickened too much. You can also microwave it in short bursts, stirring between each round, until heated through.
This is also a great recipe to make ahead, and honestly, the flavors get even better after a day in the fridge. You can prepare it one day before you plan to serve it (for the best texture) and reheat using the methods above when you’re ready to serve.
Looking for more Marry Me inspired recipes? Check out Jess’s viral marry me chicken or my creamy marry me chicken soup!
I made this tonight for dinner and we loved it! Such good flavor! And so easy to make. This recipe is a keeper!!!
This is sooo delicious. The sun-dried tomatoes & their oil made the flavor shine. This is now a favorite. I used fresh chopped araugala instead of spinach & evap milk in place of the cream. Served it with mushroom rice, using brown rice. We’re happy there is enough for dinner tomorrow night!! 😊
absolutely delicious! I was very surprised by how tasty this was. I forgot to buy basil, so I ended up adding a bit of pesto. Between the beans, broth, and Parmesan, the dish had enough (verging on slightly too much) salt without adding any extra. I think if you can find low-sodium broth or beans, it might be good. Otherwise, fantastic!! I plan on making it again this very same week
Great dish, toddler approved. I rinsed the beans and just added more broth and it worked out fine.
So good and filling! Super easy and I had enough ingredients to make it twice (just had to buy two more cans of beans). As a college student on a budget, totally a delicious hit!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying the recipe. I’m really glad you enjoyed it. I love being able to share big flavor recipes that are also budget friendly.
This is terrific, I would recommend tasting as you go along and not add salt until you’ve tasted with the beans and bean liquid which can already be pretty salty. I’d give this 4 1/2 stars. We added a sausage link on the side and some grilled bread to round out the meal.
Hi there! Those sound like great additions and recommendations. Thanks so much for trying it out!
Great recipe! I added sausage to round it out for dinner.
One suggestion: please consider adding “liquid included” or a similar indication to the white beans as listed with the ingredients list.
If anyone is like me and goes on auto pilot with beans I just prepped them they way most recipes call for which is to drain and rinse! I lost all the good thick juice but it still turned out ok with more broth.
I second this – made the same mistake of draining and rinsing the beans when I was prepping the rest of the ingredients.
Oh my stars! This is divine. I love this recipe. I love savory food and this one is definitely deliciously savory. I used fresh spinach in place of the frozen. I didn’t have fresh Basel so sprinkled dried basel on it just so we could get the flavor.
I don’t think this recipe really only makes 1 serving as indicated.
It makes 4 servings!
This is a great recipe. Very simple and quick. My spouse loved the beans and it would be trivial to double the portions and freeze. I combined it, as recommended, with the mushroom rice recipe and they went together very well. We’ll definitely be making this again.
As a note to anyone who combined the mushroom rice recipe with this one, choose one recipe and eliminate the salt. Consider the sodium in your choice of broth, as well. It’s amazing either way, but if you prefer your food slightly less salty, choose somewhere to reduce the combined salt.
This Marry Me White Bean Skillet looks creamy, flavorful, and perfect for dinner!