Dinner With Meg

Perfect for: a quick working from home lunch, a dose of gut goodness, using up your greens that are about to expire.

Beans really are having their moment; if you go on social media and look at recipes or food creators, it won’t be long before you stumble upon a bean recipe.

And for good reason.

They’re versatile, so good for your gut and utterly delicious – if you always have a tin of butterbeans in the cupboard, you’re never more than 10-15 minutes away from a delicious meal.

Just like this one…

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Half a jar of butterbeans (I use Bold Bean Co!)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 150ml chicken stock or broth
• 30g ricotta
• 5-10g parmesan, finely grated 
• Juice of half a lemon
• Half a courgette, sliced into thin rounds
• 5 broccoli florets, chopped 
• Half a teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 5 fresh basil leaves 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Method

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil on a medium heat. Add the courgette rounds to the pan, ensuring they’re spread out. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they begin to soften.

2. Add the chopped broccoli and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, before adding salt, pepper, and chilli flakes.

3. Add drained and rinsed butterbeans to the pan along with the stock. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for a few minutes before adding a teaspoon of your ricotta, along with your parmesan. Add the lemon juice.

4. Cook for a further 2 minutes and then serve whilst piping hot. 

5. Dollop more ricotta on top, add fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of a good quality EVOO.

I’d recommend serving in a shallow bowl with a slice of sourdough to mop up all of that gorgeous beany brothy goodness.