Spiced beans with cheese
A really versatile dish to use up those odds and ends you find lurking in the back of your fridge or kitchen cupboards. This is a great base sauce that can be used to create multiple different delicious recipes.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 medium or 2 small red onions
- 1 garlic clove
- 800 g canned beans, I used 400g kidney and 400g of butter beans
- 250 ml red wine
- 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, about 12 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp ‘nduja, leave out if veggie
- 1 tsp harissa
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 50 g cheese, grated - I used half cheddar and half aged Gouda
Instructions
- Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add a good glug of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) when the oil is shimmering add the red onions and cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a further two minutes.
- Add half the can of kidney beans and half the can of butter beans to the pan. Add the red wine, sun-dried tomatoes, ‘nduja (if using) harissa, spices, salt and lots of black pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the grated cheese and stir until melted. Blitz the mixture with a stick blender until smooth. Add the rest of the beans to the pan and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. You can add more red wine or a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.