053 / 75 · Plant Meals with a Proper Center

Crisp Butter Bean Cakes with Green Yogurt Sauce

12 bean cakes with green yogurt sauce; 3 cakes per serving · Active 40 min · Cook 24 min · Total 1 hr 15 min

Print recipe · PDF

Butter beans make a creamy-centered cake when they are drained thoroughly and mashed with a little texture left. Breadcrumbs and an egg help the mixture hold, while a short chill makes the shaped cakes easier to move into the skillet. The green yogurt sauce is bright with parsley, dill and lemon, and it is divided among all four portions. These are tender bean cakes rather than rigid patties, so the method favors a broad spatula and an unhurried first side.

Jump to ingredients

Crisp butter bean cakes with a coarse creamy center and green yogurt sauce.

Dry beans before mashing

Canned butter beans can hold packing liquid in their folds. Drain, rinse and spread them on a clean towel, then blot gently. Mash with a fork or potato masher until most beans are crushed but some small pieces remain. A processor can take them too far, producing a sticky paste that needs excessive crumbs. A small amount of texture gives the finished cake a more pleasant center.

Chill for handling, not overnight planning

The fifteen-minute refrigerator rest gives the crumbs time to absorb moisture and lets the shaped cakes firm up. It is short enough to use for making the sauce and clearing the work surface. If the mixture still feels very loose, flatten the cakes a little more carefully and move them with a spatula rather than adding a large handful of extra breadcrumbs. Extra dry material changes the intended balance and can make the center heavy.

Wait for the crust to release

Use medium heat and a thin layer of the measured oil. A cake that is still pale underneath is more likely to tear when turned. Give the first side its full time, slide a wide spatula completely underneath, and turn once with a second utensil supporting the top if needed. Do not press the cakes down repeatedly. Their centers should remain soft while the outsides become golden and crisp.

Ingredients

  • 3 cans butter beans (15 oz/425 g each), drained and rinsed (765 g total drained)
  • 1 small onion (90 g), very finely chopped
  • 1 large egg (50 g without shell), beaten
  • 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (60 g)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (2 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt (4.5 g), divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (1 g)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml/28 g)
  • 1 1/4 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt (300 g)
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves (15 g)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (5 g)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml/30 g)
  • 1 small garlic clove (3 g)

Set out

Large bowl and potato masher, 12-inch/30 cm nonstick skillet, usable flat base at least 10 1/2 inches/27 cm across, Wide flexible spatula, Tray, Blender or small food processor, Instant-read thermometer, Clean plate for cooked cakes and refrigerator space for remaining raw cakes

Allergens

Egg, Wheat, Milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Spread drained rinsed beans on a clean towel and blot dry. Mash in the bowl, leaving some small pieces. Mix in onion, egg, breadcrumbs, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
  2. Divide into 12 equal portions and shape into cakes about 3 inches/7.5 cm wide and about 3/4 inch/2 cm thick. Put on a tray and refrigerate 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, blend yogurt, parsley, dill, lemon juice, garlic and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until pale green and mostly smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
  4. Before heating, choose two batches of six only if cakes fit with gaps on the actual usable base; otherwise use three batches of four and add about 12 minutes to the schedule. Divide the same measured 30 ml oil equally among those batches. Heat the first oil share over medium heat. Cook the first batch 5–6 minutes per side until golden and the center reaches at least 160°F/71°C. Transfer to a clean plate and repeat with all remaining cakes and oil shares, keeping waiting raw cakes covered in the refrigerator. Extend cooking over lower heat if the center needs longer without burning the crust.
  5. Serve three cakes per person with one-quarter of the green yogurt sauce.

Pack the sauce after the cakes cool

A small separate sauce container keeps the crust from soaking during storage. Count three cakes into each lunch box before dividing sauce, and let the batch cool in shallow containers rather than stacked in a deep bowl. The first serving should not receive all the crisp cakes while later portions are compressed underneath.

A useful detail

The cakes are intentionally tender. A nonstick skillet and a spatula that supports the whole cake are more important than making the mixture stiff with extra flour.

Another way

  • Replace butter beans with 765 g drained canned cannellini beans, mashing to the same coarse texture.
  • Use 20 g fresh basil in place of the parsley and dill for a different green yogurt sauce.

Keep it well

Refrigerate cakes and sauce separately at 40°F/4°C or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep up to 3 days. Freeze cooked cakes in a single layer, then pack for up to 2 months; do not freeze the yogurt sauce. Reheat cakes to 165°F/74°C in a skillet or oven. Carry chilled with two cold sources.