Butter Bean Hot Pot
With the priority being very much now all about ‘health’ and ‘eating well’ or simply enjoying a varied diet (variety is the spice of life!) today I share with you a wonderful easy, highly nutritious butter bean recipe with a light flavourful tomato sauce. I suppose you could say your own ‘homemade baked beans’ as this recipe is so much healthier for you than the canned, commercial type (you will know exactly what is in the recipe and absolutely NO excess sugar added).
Nutritiously, a ½ cup serving of butter beans contains 5g of protein and 1g of fat. In addition to being a healthy carbohydrate and a great source of fibre and protein, butter beans are also a good source of iron, zinc and magnesium – all the nutrients that you will find in meat, so therefore, butter beans are a great vegan / vegetarian alternative.
Butter beans are also an excellent source of dietary fibre, protein, B vitamins and many other important vitamins and minerals. There is good evidence that they can help reduce blood sugar, improve cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy gut.
A truly natural product, however, PLEASE NOTE, it is always extremely important to SOAK the butter beans (or any LEGUMES / fyi butter beans are from the Legumes family) as they do contain an indigestible bi-product called LECTIN, which is recognised to be toxic if consumed in excess raw, however, delightedly totally destroyed when cooked.
Finally, as I do cook often without salt, it is OK to omit during the cooking stages, however, a wee sprinkle on the top at the end, with a generous grind of freshly ground black pepper really does bring this dish alive.
A truly vegan and vegetarian friendly recipe.
Ingredients
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400g dried butter beans- soaked overnight in cold water
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil- or coconut oil
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1 red onion- finely chopped
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2 large cloves of garlic- chopped
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411g tin tomatoes- diced
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½ tin of cold water
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1 bay leaf
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4 dried lime leaves
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Freshly ground black pepper- generous grind
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Salt to taste- pinch
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Garnish:
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Crunchy sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
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Prepare butter beans:
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01 Place dried butter beans in a deep bowl. Cover well with cold water and allow soaking overnight.
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02 Drain well. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender – approx 30-40 minutes. Drain and rinse well.
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Prepare tomato sauce:
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03 Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
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04 Now add butter beans. Gently re-heat.
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To serve:
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05 Delicious hot with a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
It is very important to soak the beans well before cooking to make them more digestible and try not to over-cook them during their initial cooking stage– as they will go to ‘mush’ when later mixed with the light tomato sauce. I usually make this dish on top of the stove but it is perfectly OK to use the oven for a slow gentle cook, or reheat in the oven after stages 5&6. It is also acceptable to use tinned pre-cooked butter beans.
