Food Recipes Side Dishes Butter Beans alla Vodka 5.0 (3) 3 Reviews Creamy butter beans simmer in a shortcut vodka sauce in this 30-minute weeknight dinner. By Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto Anna Theoktisto is a recipe tester and developer. Anna has been working in People Inc. test kitchens since 2017, and her recipes and writing have appeared in over 10 nationally distributed print publications, as well as on various digital platforms. When not in the kitchen, Anna enjoys hiking with her son, husband, and two dogs, and fostering puppies for a local animal rescue group. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 28, 2026 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Credit: Morgan Hunt Ward / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe This one-pan, 30-minute dish delivers all the creamy appeal of vodka sauce and swaps the usual pasta for butter beans.It’s a satisfying vegetarian main that’s weeknight-friendly and crowd-pleasing.Jarred marinara is the secret to a quick and easy yet flavorful take on vodka sauce. Butter beans take the place of pasta in this saucy skillet dinner. Jarred marinara sauce forms the base of the shortcut vodka sauce while leaning on canned beans makes this an effortless 30-minute dish. Serve with crusty bread for sopping up the creamy tomato sauce. These butter beans alla vodka were inspired by Chris Ray’s love of pasta and bean mash-up dishes. Ray, wine director at Maison Bar à Vins in Washington, D.C. says, “I love ‘A Vita’s Rosato from Calabria with this dish. It’s not at all shy about intensity and even has a bit of tannin that the dish softens. It offers savory, herbal notes, sanguine minerality, and ripeness suggesting dried strawberries and sun-dried tomatoes, which complement the richness of the vodka sauce — all without needing to call in a heavier red wine.” We Tried 100 Jarred Tomato Sauces — These Are 15 of the Best What can you use instead of vodka in the sauce? White wine or red wine are great alternatives if you don’t have vodka on hand. The alcohol cooks off as it simmers, but you can also use booze-free options: Try chicken stock or vegetable stock plus a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of red wine vinegar for a balanced acidity similar to vodka. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Use high-quality canned butter beans, such as Bush’s, that are tender and creamy and won’t fall apart when cooking.Add the vodka off the heat to prevent any flare-ups. Suggested pairing Pair this saucy spin on a classic with a fragrant, low-intervention Italian rosé, such as ‘A Vita Calabria Rosato. This recipe was developed by Anna Theoktisto; the text was written by Paige Grandjean. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly. Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/3 cup vodka 3 (16-ounce) cans large butter beans, drained and rinsed 1 (32-ounce) jar marinara sauce 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), divided Torn fresh basil, for garnish Crusty bread, for serving Directions Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring often, until tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add vodka to onion mixture. Stir until liquid is mostly reduced, 30 seconds to 1 minute, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits. Return skillet to heat over medium-high; stir in butter beans, marinara sauce, heavy cream, and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly reduced and flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Garnish with torn basil, and serve with crusty bread. Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.