Here’s a delightfully delicious and simple recipe for a Creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Lima Bean Stew. The stew is minimally flavored with garlic and summery herbs, and the roasted cauliflower adds texture, crunch and more flavor. A vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free recipe.
For me, eating healthy in summer involves recipes that get me in and out of the kitchen quickly so I can enjoy the rest of what the world has to offer. This hearty and creamy Roasted Cauliflower and Lima Bean Stew is exactly one of those recipes.
I know this doesn’t sound like a quickie recipe, and there is one additional step of roasting the cauliflower involved, but it’s hands-0ff, and roasting the cauliflower before adding it to the stew makes this dish even more flavorful. It’s a small step that makes a huge difference.
There’s hardly more work involved. Chopping? A teeny bit. Cooking? Ten minutes. What’s there to complain about?
Lima beans are great in creamy stews because they make up the cream without the actual use of any cream — even cashew cream. All you do is blitz up some of the lima beans into delicious creaminess while leaving others whole for texture in your stew.
You can serve this stew over some pasta or with a loaf of crusty bread. Or eat it by itself– you’ll love it any which way.
And if you do make it, be sure to let me know you did. Enjoy your weekend– you’ve earned it!
- 1 head cauliflower, separated into large florets
- 2 15 oz cans lima beans (drained)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed and minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh, chopped herbs like sage and/or rosemary
- 1 tbsp basil (optional, for garnish)
- Salt and ground black pepper
Toss the cauliflower with salt and pepper to taste and roast on a parchment-covered baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden and tender, but still crunchy.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and herbs and saute for a minute.
Add the lima beans and salt and ground black pepper to taste, with 2 cups of water or vegetable stock. Let the lima beans come to a simmer, then remove half the beans and liquid to a blender along with 3-4 roasted cauliflower florets and blend until smooth. Be careful while blending hot liquids and follow your manufacturer's directions. If you have an immersion blender, you can certainly use this to blitz the beans right in the pot, but leave some beans whole for texture.
Add the remaining cauliflower to the pot and heat until the stew just begins to boil. Turn off the heat, check seasoning, and garnish with basil, if using. Serve hot with pasta or a crusty bread.
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