Green Curry Beans and Greens
Updated March 24, 2026
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Ready In
- 30 min
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 or 2 serrano chiles, stem removed
2 garlic cloves
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as avocado
½ cup green curry paste (4 ounces)
1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, preferably gum-free
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as butter or cannellini, drained
1 bunch basil (preferably Thai, if available; about 4 ounces)
1 (5-ounce) container baby spinach
Salt
Cooked white rice or flour tortillas, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
22 grams carbs; 460 milligrams cholesterol; 1845 calories; 52 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 128 grams saturated fat; 198 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1040 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 1 gram sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium while you mince the serrano chile (seeds included), garlic and ginger together to make a chunky paste.
- Step 2
Add the oil to the skillet along with the serrano, garlic and ginger and the curry paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste is very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the coconut milk, then fill the coconut milk can with water and pour it into the skillet. Add the beans and turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, mash half of the beans and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the curry thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, pluck the basil leaves off of the stems. Stack half of the leaves and thinly slice into ribbons, leaving the rest whole.
- Step 5
Stir the spinach and whole basil leaves into the skillet and simmer until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for salt.
- Step 6
Ladle into bowls over rice or on a flour tortilla like a burrito, and serve topped with basil ribbons.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious! Made it as is, no substitutions. Used 2 Serranos as we like "hot" and it was. I only had 2 oz of Thai basil leaves which was perfect. I used 1 oz in the dish and less than 1 oz as the garnish. Also, it read more as a soup using the full can of water so next time I'll try ½ a can of water for more of a stew.
So good! I skipped the chiles because my curry paste is pretty spicy. Also, I didn’t add a can of water and I used an immersion blender to blend one of the cans of beans before adding it. The texture turned out a good thickness.
I agree with the suggestion to use less water, even with half a can it was quite liquidy. I would also recommend using less than 1/2 cup of curry paste if yours is strong. I used Aroy-D and it was almost too much. I wish I had some fresh lime to squeeze over it too!
Super easy, flexible, and tasty. I had whopping five ears of corn (!!) so threw the kernels in there with the beans. It made this super thick so I didn’t mash the beans but the end result was tasty no less. I think it might’ve even been better than the original since it imbued natural sweetness. Since we’re not vegan, I finished the dish with a dash of fish sauce. I can see other veggies or tofu or protein playing well here too. Five stars
Used the Mae Ploy green curry paste, followed the recipe as written, and found it to be way too salty. Adding lime juice definitely helped, but would use less of this brand of paste next time, maybe halve it? Curious if other folks found this to be true as well.
This recipe is super easy and delicious! I used dried beans, which I cooked first. Definitely going into the rotation for our weekly vegetarian night!