Description
Creamy butter beans dance with zesty lemon and fragrant basil pesto in this Mediterranean-inspired masterpiece. Delicate ricotta adds luxurious richness, inviting you to savor each memorable bite of culinary comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 jar butter beans
- 250 grams (8.8 ounces) ricotta cheese
- 1 large bunch fresh basil (approximately 15 grams)
- 1 lemon
Nuts and Cheese:
- 1 handful toasted pine nuts
- 25 grams (0.88 ounces) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
Oils and Additional Items:
- 45 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Pulverize pine nuts, basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil in a blender until achieving a silky, vibrant green pesto texture, adjusting consistency with additional olive oil if necessary.
- Transfer plump butter beans onto a wide ceramic platter, creating an inviting landscape of creamy legumes.
- Artfully distribute soft, cloud-like ricotta across the surface of the beans, creating gentle mounds of pure white.
- Cascade the freshly crafted basil pesto over the beans and ricotta, allowing the emerald sauce to weave between the ingredients.
- Enhance the dish with delicate ribbons of lemon zest, carefully scattered to provide bright, citrusy notes.
- Drizzle a whisper of premium olive oil across the platter, ensuring each element glistens with a luxurious sheen.
- Conclude by grinding fresh black pepper with a flourish, adding a subtle warmth and piquant undertone to the harmonious composition.
Notes
- Toast pine nuts carefully to enhance their nutty flavor without burning, watching them closely in the pan.
- Experiment with different herbs like mint or parsley if basil isn’t available, keeping the fresh green essence of the pesto.
- Create a dairy-free version by replacing ricotta with cashew cream or silken tofu for a vegan-friendly alternative.
- Adjust pesto consistency by gradually adding olive oil, ensuring a smooth but not overly runny texture that clings perfectly to the beans.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 40mg