Here’s a simple, comforting slow cooker potatoes and butter beans recipe. It’s hearty, naturally vegan, budget-friendly, and full of flavour.
Slow Cooker Potatoes and Butter Beans
Serves: 4–6
Time: 15 minutes prep, 6–8 hours slow cooking
Ingredients
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700 g baby potatoes or waxy potatoes, halved or quartered if large
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1 large onion, chopped
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2 carrots, sliced
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2 celery sticks, sliced
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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2 × 400 g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
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400 g tin chopped tomatoes
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500 ml vegetable stock
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2 tablespoons tomato purée/paste
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1 teaspoon smoked paprika
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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½ teaspoon dried rosemary
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1 bay leaf
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Salt and black pepper to taste
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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Fresh parsley, chopped, to finish
Method
1. Prepare the vegetables
Wash and cut the potatoes. Keep them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
Chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
2. Add everything to the slow cooker
Place the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and butter beans into the slow cooker.
Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, vegetable stock, olive oil, smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Stir gently to combine.
3. Slow cook
Cover and cook:
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High: 3–4 hours
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Low: 6–8 hours
The dish is ready when the potatoes are tender but not falling apart.
4. Check the seasoning
Remove the bay leaf.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, or smoked paprika if needed.
5. Serve
Stir in a handful of fresh parsley.
Serve in bowls with:
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Crusty bread
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Steamed greens
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Or a simple side salad
Tips
Best potatoes to use
Waxy or all-purpose potatoes hold their shape better in the slow cooker. Good choices include:
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Charlotte
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Jersey Royal
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Baby potatoes
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Red potatoes
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Yukon Gold
Avoid very floury potatoes unless you want them to break down and thicken the dish.
Want it creamier?
Before serving, mash a few potatoes and butter beans against the side of the slow cooker and stir them back in. This thickens the broth naturally.
Add more depth
For a richer flavour:
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Add a splash of white wine
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Use a Parmesan rind while cooking
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Add a teaspoon of miso paste with the stock
Make it spicy
Add:
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½ teaspoon chilli flakes
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Or 1 teaspoon harissa or hot smoked paprika
Add greens
Stir in a few handfuls of spinach or chopped kale during the last 20–30 minutes of cooking.
Variations
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Use cannellini beans instead of butter beans.
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Add chopped courgettes or peppers for extra vegetables.
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Stir in a handful of chopped green olives or capers before serving for a salty, Mediterranean flavour.
Storage
Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
This is a warming, low-effort meal that makes the most of storecupboard ingredients. The butter beans go soft and creamy, and the potatoes soak up the tomato and herb broth.