There’s nothing like a plate of baked beans on toast for breakfast or a mid-week lunch. This recipe from The Gut Stuff is quick, cheap, delicious and best of all, great for our guts.
There can’t be a meal more comforting, filling and generally satisfying than baked beans. And while you might think Heinz or Branston have the market pretty well sewn up, making beans from scratch is a whole lot easier (and tastier) than you might think. This baked beans recipe from The Gut Stuff is a simple way to up your plant intake in one go.
Haricot beans are packed with plant-based protein, as well as minerals like iron and zinc, and B vitamins. Using butter beans? They’re also rich in magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium, as well as calcium and protein. But it’s the fibre content that makes beans so good for our guts.
Fibre feeds our gut bacteria. It’s a type of carb that can’t be broken down, so moves through our guts – feeding and cleaning as it goes. It’s the fibre found in foods like beans and vegetables that gut bacteria like especially.
And if that wasn’t enough, beans have also been linked with better heart health. One study found that feeding children with abnormal blood cholesterol muffins or smoothies containing haricot beans every day for four weeks increased their levels of healthy HDL cholesterol. Another found that a daily bean habit decreased adults’ bad cholesterol levels.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 peppers (red or yellow), deseeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 heaped tsp paprika (smoked or otherwise)
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 x 400g can of tomatoes (any type)
1 x 400g can of white beans, such as butter or haricot
Salt and paper
Toasted sourdough
Method
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium high heat.
Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, paprika and chilli flakes (if using) and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, then swill a splash of water around the can and add this to the pan too. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to create a smooth sauce.
Season to taste.
Return to the heat, stir in the beans and cook until warmed through.
Serve on top of toasted sourdough, a baked potato or with our veggie brunch.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe from The Gut-Loving Cookbook by Alana and Lisa Macfarlane (AKA The Gut Stuff). Images: Haraala Hamilton.
Source: Read Full Article