It’s always a treat to have my vegan friends join me for dinner because it presents an opportunity for me to get even more creative than usual in my kitchen. Of course there are a many quick, simple vegan dishes that I could have prepared when my friend came over last week, but the problem was that I was craving something warm, savory and creamy. I’m not a fan of fake cheese or meat so I was stumped for a moment. Then I came across quite possibly the most perfect solution- butter bean sage sauce.

From the instant I saw this recipe on Love Food Eat, I imagined that first bite hitting the spot, but I had to keep reminding myself that this might not be quite the creamy taste I was expecting. I was wrong. Very wrong. In fact, I think I prefer this vegan sauce over traditional butter sage sauce. It was a hit all across the apartment. Which means me, my friend and my roommate. And I’m pretty sure the cat would have licked all of our bowls clean had I not stopped him, but we needed those bowls for second helpings. This is a dish that I intend to make over and over again and not just for my vegan friends. Here’s the recipe from Love Food Eat with a few of my own additions…

250 grams of dry butter beans (I used 1 can of canned butter beans)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 springs of sage (chopped)
1 packet Fettuccine (I used quinoa linguine)

Additions:
1 medium shallot minced
Zest of half a lemon

Heat butter beans in a saucepan in some water over medium heat and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the beans in a food processor, slowly adding some of the cooking liquid until it evenly purees. Reserve the rest of the cooking liquid.

Heat olive oil in pot. Add garlic and shallots to the oil. Fry for a minute and add the fresh sage springs. Now add the butter bean puree to it and mix well. Slowly add the water reserved from cooking to thin it down to the required consistency. Bring it to a boil, season with salt and lemon zest and it’s ready!

Boil the fettuccine according to the instructions of the package and toss it in the butter bean sauce. Serve hot!