Spinach Artichoke Beans

I’m sure we’ve all been there. You’re trying to eat a socially-acceptable amount of the spinach artichoke dip at a party, and you think to yourself–appetizer is such a limiting word–why can’t I just have a whole bowl of this for dinner? Okay, maybe we haven’t all been there, but if you can see my point, then this recipe is for you. Healthy enough for a proper dinner, but with all of the hallmarks of the dip, these spinach artichoke beans will have you coming back for seconds.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• dash salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 15oz cans cannellini beans (or another large white bean)
• 1 15oz can artichoke hearts
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Crusty bread to serve

To prepare:

Boil some water and pour it over the cashews in a heat safe bowl or measuring cup. Leave them to soak while you prepare the rest. Drain and chop the artichokes. Peel and dice the onion and peel and slice the garlic.

Melt the butter or coconut oil in an oven-save skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to brown slightly. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and stir. Cook for a minute or two more. Add the beans and the broth, and artichokes, and reduce heat to low to simmer. Drain the cashews and put them in a blender with the corn starch, nutritional yeas, and 1 cup of water. Add this mixture to the pan and bring to a low boil. Cook until liquid is slightly thickened (6-9 minutes).

While that’s cooking, wash and chop the spinach. Remove the pan from the heat and add the spinach and about 2/3 of the shredded Parmesan and stir until well combined. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top, turn your oven to medium broil the broil, and keep a close eye on it. Remove from the oven when the cheese is nicely browned.

Serve your spinach artichoke beans warm with some crusty bread. Leftovers also keep great in the fridge, so this makes a great meal prep!