Beans On Toast
We prepare meals similar to this very frequently, type beans into the search icon and a whole host of recipes will turn up. To say that we like beans would be an understatement. We find them exciting in all their shapes, sizes, colours, textures and flavours. The boys are partial to chickpeas, warm out of the pressure cooker, roasted in the oven, or their all time favourite: blended into humous, which they can make a meal out of simply by drizzling on some olive oil and eaten straight up with a spoon.
Baby green is still too young to enjoy his beans on toast, so he is happy to have his served with some bulghur wheat or couscous. Little Boy Green on the other hand, will refuse anything that is not almost identical to what the adults are eating. While he may still find it a little tricky to eat through a thick slice of toasted bread, the juices from this recipe do a decent job of softening the bread for a more manageable texture.
We used cannellini (navy) beans for this recipe because of their more neutral flavour and also because we try to select ingredients that may enhance the aesthetic quality of a dish. We like that the white of the beans allowed them to stand out to the red of the sauce. Carrots and celery are full of flavour this time of year so a little went a long way in creating depth of flavour to this simple recipe. A good chunk of savoy cabbage, also in season, snuck its way in. Once the green outer layers are removed, the cabbage is very tender and practically dissolves into the dish, a great way to satisfy any anti-cabbagers out there (do they really exist?). Other brassicas would work just as well, we’ve used kale and brussels sprouts (this got a “nay” vote from Mrs Green). Chard or spinach are also a great addition.
Ingredients:
- 500g tomato passata
- 3 cups of cooked beans or 2 cans, drained
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 medium onion or leek
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 savoy cabbage, outer green layers removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup veg broth (we use bouillon and water)
- salt and pepper to taste
Tomato paste can be added, 1 tbsp at a time to thicken.
Method:
- Finely dice the celery, carrot, onion and garlic and add to a deep heavy based pot and sautee until soft, approx. 5 minutes on low - medium heat stirring every minute or two.
- Meanwhile shred the cabbage as fine as possible and add to the pot along with the veg broth, bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato passata and beans and return to a gentle boil, lower heat, cover and cook for 10 min. Taste and season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes. Use tomato paste or more veg broth as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or rucola for extra green boost, serve and enjoy!
