Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree Recipe

Celebrate spring – or any season – with this amazingly simple recipe for lemony-garlic shrimp and asparagus with white bean puree that may find you licking the plate.

Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

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I wish I could adequately describe this shrimp and asparagus recipe to you.

White beans, good. Asparagus, love it. Shrimp, yes. Garlic? Lemon? Yes, yes, it all seems like a nice combination, with the unique addition of the beans.

Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

But I had no idea how good it would be as this came together. No idea.

And then when something that tastes this good, also looks this good – what?

When you plate this up, it looks like something that you’d get at a fancy restaurant. The type where if I saw the waiter bringing this I’d roll my eyes a bit, thinking it’s one of those restaurants (you know, the kind that are more into presentation…).

All I would need, though, is one bite to understand that presentation and deliciousness can go hand in hand. And as long as you’re a fan of these ingredients like me, you are going to want many bites of this. I promise.

Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree

Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree ingredients

As if flavor and presentation weren’t enough, how about simple and easy with whole food ingredients?

  • Shrimp
  • Fresh Asparagus (Seasonal Tip: green beans and snap peas also work well.)
  • Onions
  • White Beans (cooked, either canned or cooked and frozen and drained)
  • Garlic
  • Lemon
  • Parsley

Add some olive oil, butter, a bit of salt and pepper and maybe a red pepper flake or two and that’s the entire recipe right there.

Pretty, yummy, and uncomplicated. It just gets better.

Pureeing beans for Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree Steps

This recipe consists of three very quick steps – really.

Step 1: Briefly heat the beans with garlic, lemon juice and water and puree them right in the pan with an immersion blender (you’ve gotten yours, right?).

If all you have is a regular blender, you’ll need to transfer the beans to the blender bowl first, and it works, too, just not quite as conveniently.

Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree dressing

Step 2: While that is heating, whisk together the dressing/topping ingredients.

Cooking asparagus and onion for Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

Step 3: The final step is to quickly cook the onions and asparagus until just crisp-tender before adding the shrimp.

Since each step takes just a few minutes it all comes together in about 30 minutes.

Restaurant worthy Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

To serve, place about 1/2 cup of the pureed beans on a plate, add some of the shrimp-asparagus mixture, and pour part of the dressing over the top. Beautiful.

And prepare to be amazed at your first bite. Really, truly, honestly.

Shrimp and Asparagus over White Bean Puree

You will want to serve this with a good bread (easyĀ artisan or sourdough artisan are of course our favs) to soak up all the beany-dressing goodness.

Again, trust me on this, it’s either bread or licking the plate, so make it easy on your family and guests.

You’ve probably figured out that I’ve made this a lot. When asparagus isn’t in season any more I make it with with snow peas in later spring, and then green beans in the summer.

I even made it once with small scallops. It’s that good!

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5 from 3 votes

Shrimp and Asparagus with White Bean Puree

Celebrate spring with this amazing recipe for lemony-garlic shrimp and asparagus over white bean puree that may just find you licking the plate.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Author: Jami Boys

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups cooked white beans or about 2 cans, drained
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice divided
  • 2 cloves garlic minced and divided
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • pinch of red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion cut in half then sliced thinly
  • 1 pound asparagus trimmed and cut in 3 to 4 inch pieces*
  • 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined**

Instructions

Beans:

  • Place the beans, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1 clove of the minced garlic, an optional red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and puree with a handheld immersion blender (if using a regular blender or food processor, return beans to pan after pureeing). Keep warm over lowest heat.

Dressing:

  • Combine the remaining minced garlic clove and 3 tablespoons lemon juice along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, parsley, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small glass measuring cup, whisking to emulsify. Set aside.

Vegetables & Shrimp:

  • Saute onions in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
  • Stir in asparagus, cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes just until crisp-tender.
  • Add shrimp and cook until they turn pink, 1-2 minutes (pre-cooked shrimp only needs to be heated through).

To Serve:

  • Place a quarter of the beans on each of four serving plates and divide the asparagus-shrimp mixture evenly.
  • Pour the dressing over the top of each and serve immediately.

Notes

*Other seasonal vegetable options: snow peas in June, green beans in summer, sweet peppers in fall (or your favorite).
**This also is wonderful with scallops. Cook just the same as shrimp.

Nutrition

Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 293mg | Sodium: 1504mg | Potassium: 1372mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 361mg | Iron: 12mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

Other Seafood Recipes to Try:

Garlic Shrimp and Green Bean Pasta on spoon

Garlic Shrimp and Green Bean Pasta

Greek Style Orzo and Shrimp

Greek Style Orzo and Shrimp

Baked White Fish with Parmesan-Herb Crust

Baked White Fish with Parmesan-Herb Crust

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Recipe Rating




5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

29 Comments

  1. Guess I’m a late bloomer! I had saved this recipe years ago but didn’t make it for dinner until just tonight. I don’t know why I waited so long–it is delicious (even my picky eaters went back for more!). Easy-peasy to make, my favorite ingredients to cook with, and, oh, so full of flavor and texture. I have to admit, though, that the last two adaptations from Norma and Dorothy {in the comments below) will certainly on my to-do list as well. What creative people! Thanks so much for sharing.5 stars

    1. Better late than never in this case, Janice. šŸ™‚
      Yes, this is perfect for adapting to what’s in season and flavors!

  2. Hi, Jami–
    Just love this dish! I prepared it with some of our garden green beans, frozen unblanched using your wonderful technique. I just mashed the cannelini beans with a potato masher rather than puree them as we like that texture better. Such great flavor in the entire dish! This morning we had the bean mash leftover with a fried egg on top for breakfast. Yum! Flavors were even better than last night! Thanks for another great recipe!5 stars

    1. Oh, I’m so glad you tried this, Norma – sounds yummy with the green beans. And the breakfast idea? Genius!!

  3. I belong to a cookbook club. We study and sample recipes from a specific cookbook all month, then meet once a month, at a pot luck lunch, with everyone bringing a dish from their experiments.
    This month’s book was a pizza cookbook, but all the recipes were boring! Who needs another pepperoni pizza? Then I read your shrimp & asparagus with white bean puree and was inspired! I cut the recipe in half and did all the prep work, but spread the bean puree over an unbaked pizza shell. Topped with tender asparagus & onions. Sprinkled on a little parmesan and topped with cooked shrimp. Baked in a hot, hot oven until the topping was bubbly and the crust was golden. OMG! Served with the lemony dressing drizzled on top. I have found my pizza offering for the pot luck Gods! Thank you for the inspiration.

    1. Oh my goodness, Dorothy, that is inspired!! What a wonderful sounding adaptation. I will have to try it out. šŸ™‚

  4. This looks delicious! If I had shrimp in the house, I’d make it today. The substitutions sound delicious, too. I will try them all. Thank you.

  5. Hi Jami,

    This recipe sounds delicious! I love all the ingredients and am always looking for something new to make with fresh asparagus in the spring. The most surprising this was the beans. I typically go for rice or pasta but this is a nice new twist that I can’t wait to try.

    1. I know – the beans are so different, though we do love a good bread to sop it up with, so it’s not totally low-carb at our house, though it could be. šŸ™‚

  6. I find any recipe that involves lemon and garlic my absolute favorite! Something about those flavors make my mouth water. I’m planning on starting an asparagus garden bed this year. I love how it’s a perennial crop, and we have such a short growing season here in New England so it’s perfect. Your recipe looks like something straight from a restaurant! I definitely need to invest in an immersion blender. So many things on my to-do list this year! I bet this would be delicious with scallops as well. I might just surprise my boyfriend with this recipe! Thank you for the delicious ideas and cooking motivation šŸ™‚

  7. Your recipe looks delicious, Jami! And I think I’m about to run off to my garden to see if I have any asparagus peeking up yet!

  8. This is a delicious meal and for it to be ready in about 30 minutes is great. I can’t wait until I find a good deal on asparagus to give this recipe at try.

  9. Spring recipes like this make me want to get right out there and start in the garden. I can’t WAIT until it gets warm enough to harvest our asparagus crop for delicious dishes like this one.!

    1. I know! I will have to be satisfied with purchased asparagus this year,though. šŸ™ It will be one of the first things I grow in the new place we end up, for sure.

  10. So good! I added a handful of flat leaf parsley (since I used white asparagus) and mushrooms then topped with gorganzola!

  11. Renee: Yeah! Though I don’t think anyone in my family would mistakenly call it dessert. šŸ™‚

  12. Absolutely amazing! My husband and kids raved about it. David slipped and called it “dessert.” So nice when I can make them all that happy!

  13. Love this recipe! Found this link from Kayln’s Kitchen. My husband and I ate it up! My 2 year old ate some too. šŸ™‚ We used cannellini beans and we were out of parsley so we used fresh dill instead. Wonderful!

  14. Sarah- Yes, those were great northern. I did look at the page, and it’s good to know the differences, though, I too like them, use all the white beans interchangeably. The great northern’s are usually the cheapest white bean in the bulk bins, which is why I buy them. šŸ™‚

    Candi- Try this with scallops, or even go out on a limb and try it with chicken pieces. I still think it would be a great flavor!

  15. Oh my goodness, Jami – I’m so thrilled that you posted this – it looks lucious and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks!

  16. This looks and sounds delicious! We get navy beans from our farmer’s market and I wasn’t sure if they were the same as the beans you are using.

    While trying to figure it out, I found this page comparing different white beans. It looks like you are using great northern beans, right?