Saffron and roasted tomato in beans

 Bursting with blistered tomatoes, fresh basil and parmesan

Looking for a tasty meat-free meal, then try this tasty saffron and roasted tomato in beans

• SERVES: 2 – 3
• PREP TIME: 5 mins
• COOKING TIME: 25 mins
• DIFFICULTY: easy
• IDEAL FOR: snack, lunch, supper, vegetarian

Saffron and roasted tomato in beans

I love this recipe from Bold Beans.

It’s super simple, vibrant, and importantly, tasty.

And in mid-winter, we need some brightly coloured food.

Tomatoes are packed full of antioxidants which are great for your heart.

This is a great midweeker with a lot of store cupboard ingredients.

(I do recommend using Bold Beans – *I don’t have any affiliation with them – they’re delicious.

But of course, you can get great tinned beans at your local supermarket.)

Ingredients

• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• ½ tsp sweet, smoked paprika
• 100ml dry white wine
• 1 jar of organic white beans with their bean stock
• A pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 100ml boiling water for at least 15 mins
• A knob of butter (roughly 20g)
• 50g parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
• A small bunch of fresh basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Put the tomatoes into a roasting tray, toss with olive oil and a good pinch of salt, and roast for 18-20 minutes until looking jammy.
3. Now, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 8-10 minutes until starting to soften, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato puree and paprika (add a splash of water if it starts to stick to the pan) and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until the mixture darkens.
4. Increase the heat and pour in the wine. Let it cook off until it has completely evaporated.
5. Reduce the heat back to medium and tip in the white beans with all of their bean stock (or canned beans + veg stock). Stir the beans to coat in the mixture and let that bubble and simmer for 3-4 minutes until you reach a brothy consistency. Pour in the saffron and its liquid and stir to combine.
6. Once the tomatoes are looking nice and charred, remove from the oven. Tumble most but not all over the tomatoes and their juices into the beans (use the rest for garnish) and gently fold them into the beans, trying not to crush them too much. Stir in half of the grated parmesan and the butter and season with salt and pepper.
7. Spoon into bowls, top with the reserved tomatoes, and scatter over some fresh basil. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, and more parmesan.
8. Serve with some crusty bread.

For more meat-free midweek meals, visit here.