Tender cannellini beans in a creamy coconut sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and spinach. Made from dried beans in the Instant Pot, this comforting dinner puts pantry staples to good use.
Serves: 8 as a side dish
Ingredients
For the beans
- 1¼ cups dried cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the sauce
- ½ cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- Boiling water, enough to cover the tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato powder
- 1½ tablespoons warm water, for mixing the tomato powder
- 4¾ tablespoons coconut milk powder, prepared as noted below
- 1½ cups warm water, for mixing the coconut milk powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- 2 generous handfuls fresh spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, optional, for finishing
For Serving
- Toasted bread, cooked rice, or pasta
From the Table
Cooking on St. Paul Island often means looking in the cupboard and figuring out how to make a recipe work with what’s already there. For this dinner, that meant dried cannellini beans instead of canned, powdered coconut milk, tomato powder in place of tomato paste, and sun-dried tomatoes that needed a little soaking.
Everything comes together in the Instant Pot. First, the beans cook until tender. Then the same pot is used to soften the onion and garlic and build a creamy sauce with concentrated tomato flavor. A handful of spinach finishes it off, and toasted bread makes a good companion for scooping up the sauce.
This recipe is part of the Island Pantry Collection, shaped by cooking on St. Paul Island. The recipes in this collection use what’s on hand, make practical substitutions, and find good meals in the pantry.
Adapted from Carleigh Bodrug’s One-Skillet Tuscan Beans in PlantYou: Quickies. This version uses dried beans, powdered pantry ingredients, and an Instant Pot. View the original recipe at Blue Zones.
Instructions
- Cook the Beans
Place 1¼ cups rinsed dried cannellini beans, 5 cups water, and ½ teaspoon salt in the Instant Pot, keeping the contents below the half-full mark. Secure the lid and set the steam release to Sealing, if required. Cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes, then allow 20 minutes of natural pressure release before carefully releasing any remaining pressure. Check that the beans are completely tender, with no firm or chalky centers. If needed, ensure they remain covered with water and pressure-cook for another 5–10 minutes, followed by a natural release. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid, then drain the beans and set aside. - Prepare the Sauce Ingredients
While the beans cook, cover the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water and soak for 15–20 minutes, until softened. Drain and chop. Mix the tomato powder with 1½ tablespoons warm water to form a thick paste. Separately, whisk the coconut milk powder into 1½ cups warm water until smooth. - Build and Simmer the Sauce
Select Sauté on the emptied Instant Pot. Add the olive oil and onion and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, tomato mixture, oregano, dried basil, thyme, and optional red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute. Pour in the vegetable broth, scraping the bottom clean, then stir in the prepared coconut milk and cooked beans. Set Sauté to Low and simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes, stirring gently and frequently. Cancel the heat briefly if it bubbles too vigorously. Mash a few beans to thicken the sauce, or add reserved bean liquid 2 tablespoons at a time if it needs thinning. - Add the Greens and Serve
Fold in the spinach and cook just until wilted. Cancel Sauté, add fresh basil if using, and season with salt and black pepper. Serve warm with toasted bread, rice, or pasta.
Field Notes:
About the coconut milk powder
The amount used here is based on a package ratio of 2 tablespoons powder to 150 ml water for thick coconut milk. For this recipe, 4¾ tablespoons powder mixed with 1½ cups water makes slightly more than 1½ cups prepared coconut milk. Brands differ, so follow your package’s thick or rich preparation ratio if it differs from this one. Use unsweetened coconut milk powder.
Using canned coconut milk instead
Replace both the coconut milk powder and its 1½ cups mixing water with 1½ cups full-fat canned coconut milk. Keep the vegetable broth.
About the tomato powder
Tomato powders vary in concentration and texture. The powder-and-water mixture should resemble thick tomato paste. If using regular tomato paste instead, substitute 1½ tablespoons tomato paste for the powder and its mixing water.
Dry-packed versus oil-packed tomatoes
Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes need soaking before they go into the sauce. If using oil-packed tomatoes, drain and chop them, then skip the soaking step. Some sun-dried tomatoes are quite salty, so taste the finished dish before adding more salt.
Bean cooking times vary
Bean age and storage conditions affect cooking time. Use the timer as a starting point and tenderness as the deciding factor. Fully cook the beans before adding the tomato ingredients, since acidity can slow their softening.
Using navy beans instead
Navy beans also work, although they are smaller and tend to break down more readily. Start with 30 minutes on High Pressure, followed by 20 minutes natural release, and check for tenderness. Stir gently during the sauce stage.
A shortcut with canned beans
Use two 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, and skip the pressure-cooking stage. Begin by preparing the tomatoes and powdered ingredients, then build the sauce on Sauté. Use a little water or broth to loosen the sauce if needed.
Herbs from the cupboard
The oregano, basil, and thyme can be replaced with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. If you only have oregano and basil, use ½ teaspoon of each.
Fresh and frozen greens
Frozen spinach can replace fresh. Thaw and squeeze out excess liquid before stirring it into the sauce. Fresh basil is optional.
Storing and reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within two hours and use within 3–4 days. The beans will absorb some sauce as they sit. Reheat gently until hot throughout, adding a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce.
I use the Instant Pot Duo.
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