Creamy Pesto White Beans with Mushrooms & Tomatoes: A High-Fiber One-Pan Dinner
Creamy Pesto White Beans with Cherry Tomatoes & Mushrooms
Looking for an easy way to eat more beans? These creamy pesto white beans are a weeknight favorite that happens to be packed with fiber, plant-based protein, and vegetables.
Cannellini beans simmer with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil pesto, and a splash of low-fat coconut milk to create a creamy, savory sauce—without needing heavy cream.
And the whole thing comes together in one pan in about 25 minutes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
🌱 Plant-based Cannellini beans provide plant-based protein and fiber, while mushrooms and tomatoes add even more plant foods to the plate.
🥣 High in fiber This recipe provides approximately 12 grams of fiber per serving, thanks primarily to the cannellini beans and whole-grain bread.
🍄 Packed with flavor Mushrooms bring savory, umami flavor that pairs beautifully with basil pesto, while cherry tomatoes add a little sweetness and acidity.
🍳 One-pan meal Everything cooks in one skillet, making this a great option when you want a flavorful dinner without a sink full of dishes.
⏰ Weeknight-friendly With canned beans and prepared pesto doing some of the heavy lifting, you can have dinner ready in about 25 minutes.
Creamy Pesto White Beans with Cherry Tomatoes & Mushrooms
High-fiber • Plant-based • One-pan • 25 minutes
Recipe Card
Servings: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15–20 minutes Total time: 25–30 minutes
Ingredients
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp salt-free Italian seasoning
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup low-fat coconut milk
½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
3 (15-oz) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp basil pesto
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Black pepper, to taste
4 oz whole-grain baguette or crusty whole-grain bread, for serving
Directions
Sauté the mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown.
Build the flavor. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Stir in the Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes, allowing them to soften slightly and release some of their juices.
Make it creamy. Add the coconut milk, vegetable broth, and cannellini beans. Bring to a gentle simmer.
How Do You Make White Beans Creamy Without Heavy Cream?
Here's the dietitian-approved trick: use the beans themselves.
Cannellini beans contain starch that helps naturally thicken the sauce. Once the beans have simmered in the broth and coconut milk, simply mash a portion of them directly in the skillet.
You get that creamy texture while also adding more beans, more fiber, and more plant-based protein to the meal.
It's one of my favorite ways to make a creamy recipe feel satisfying without needing a heavy cream-based sauce.
Why Add Mushrooms?
Mushrooms are an easy way to add more vegetables and savory flavor without making the dish feel like a salad disguised as dinner.
For the best texture, give them their own time in the skillet first.
Sautéing the mushrooms before adding the liquid allows them to brown and develop more flavor. If you add them directly to the sauce, they'll still work, but you'll miss some of that delicious roasted, savory flavor.
What Kind of Mushrooms Should I Use?
Cremini or baby bella mushrooms are my first choice because they're easy to find and have a deeper flavor than white button mushrooms.
You could also use:
Shiitake
Oyster mushrooms
White button mushrooms
A combination of your favorite mushrooms
How to Serve Pesto White Beans
I love serving these creamy beans over toasted whole-grain bread. The bread soaks up the pesto sauce while adding another source of fiber and carbohydrates.
Other options include:
Whole-grain pasta
Farro
Quinoa
Brown rice
Sourdough toast
A simple green salad on the side
If you want to increase the protein content, add crispy tofu or edamame.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Make it vegan: Use vegan pesto and replace the Parmesan with nutritional yeast or a plant-based Parmesan alternative.
Use different vegetables: Zucchini, spinach, kale, asparagus, or broccoli can work in place of mushrooms.
Make it spicier: Increase the red pepper flakes or add a drizzle of chili oil before serving.
Want more protein? Add crispy tofu, edamame, or another plant-based protein.
Don't have cannellini beans? Great Northern beans or navy beans can work as substitutes.
Dietitian's Take
One of my favorite things about this meal is that you don't have to make it complicated to make it nutritionally substantial.
You've got:
🌱 Plant protein → cannellini beans 🥣 Fiber → beans + whole grains + vegetables 🍅 Produce → mushrooms + tomatoes 🫒 Flavorful fats → olive oil + pesto 🍋 Flavor → garlic, basil, lemon + red pepper
It's a good reminder that high-fiber meals don't have to look like a giant bowl of vegetables.
Sometimes they look like creamy pesto beans with crusty bread. 😉
Meal Prep Tips
These white beans are also a great meal-prep option.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
The sauce will thicken as it sits. When reheating, add a splash of vegetable broth or water and stir until creamy again.
For the best texture, store the toasted bread separately and toast it right before serving.
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