White Bean Primavera

For those looking for a way to lighten the dish, I'll be making this with 3/4 cup chicken both mixed with a small puree of some of the beans, with a wedge or two of Laughing Cow cheese melted in. It will give a nod to a creamy broth with minimal fat.

There are good suggestions below for people who wish to avoid or reduce cream But…. This recipe makes 4-6 servings! So 3/4 cup is around 1/8 cup per serving, which is around 10g of fat, which is less than a quarter of the recommended daily allowance. So… other than those who have a health or diet restriction or just don’t like cream, perhaps most of us can relax and enjoy the recipe!

I am vegan, so when a recipe calls for heavy cream, I use oatly oat milk and add a bit of corn starch and microwave it to consistency of cream. Much less fat and calories and makes a lovely creamy sauce.

It's fine to suggest cream substitutes, but please don't equate less fat in a recipe with healthier eating. There are many different dietary needs and nutritional science is constantly evolving. The fear of fat and misguided food pyramids may have led to the epidemic of diabetes, for example. Everyone has different dietary needs. This recipe is exactly what I'm looking for: fresh veg, legumes, natural fat, citrus, yum!

I really appreciate recipes such as these, because I love cooking with beans: I made my own beans and used green beans rather than asparagus. Lovely spring recipe that could easily go into summer, too. The Dijon and lemon really finish this dish off nicely and pack some flavor, and the slivered almonds add texture and crunch. Look forward to making this again, and I would love to try it with Rancho Gordo beans. Using your own beans is definitely worth it though canned would work in a pinch.

Any suggestions to replace the high calorie heavy cream?

Please do not stop publishing well-balanced recipes with actual flavor and texture in favor of misbegotten ideas about weight loss and "health". I personally look and feel my best when minimizing starches and still eating lots of rich fats and proteins, but regardless, given that this is how I regularly cook, when I come across a starchy recipe I recognize that either it is not for me, or that I should be able to figure out my own workaround by now. Blitz cooked beans in lieu of cream.

Heavy cream is a wonderful ingredient. It’s been vilified by the same mindsets that tout margarine over butter, low- or non-fat milk over regular cow-issued dairy milk, etc. As Socrates said: everything in moderation. That includes moderation. I like the ingredient list for this recipe. It’s very “prima vera” and refreshingly free of low- and no-fat substitutes. My only change will be to drizzle basil-infused EVOO over top because fresh basil is hard to source.

I'm so confused...where's the pasta?

Looking forward to trying this! I will use either cottage cheese or Greek yogurt, thinned with milk in place of the heavy cream. This will up the protein with less fat.

I have not made this recipe, but in response to questions about replacing heavy cream: Califia Barista oat creamer is good. I also make my own cashew cream. Simple! Soak 1 c cashews for an hour with water to cover. Drain, put in blender with a cup of water, a little salt, a little sweetener if desired, and enough water to make a creamy consistency. Adjust to taste. Keeps well for several days.

While zucchini & carrot cook times are a bit more forgiving, I find that asparagus flavor & texture varies greatly with just a few more/less minutes of cooking, and circumferences vary greatly. Four minutes was too long for my thin stalks. With the beans so soft already, I blanched both the carrots & the asparagus in a side saucepan of salted, boiling water.They topped the dish of creamy beans, peas+zucchini for a crunchier counterpoint, with the singular flavors and colors shining through.

Eating a moderate amount of a rich dish can be so very satisfying. And this one is full of good nutrients from the veggies and beans. So indulge a bit. And do experiment with non dairy milks if you are lactose intolerant. That's a whole different ballpark.

couple of options to avoid the cream or if it is not on hand. check out this NYT recipe - https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020290-one-pot-pasta-with-ricotta-and-lemon?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=2. Or Melissa Clark's recipe for pasta primavera. I've made pasta dishes similar to both and prefer a lighter version of the "cream sauce" lets the vegetables shine through more readily.

Anyway I can make this delicious looking recipe without heavy cream? Lactose intolerant