A pot of baked beans – a base for all sorts of meals

I started 2018 by making a big pot of baked beans. We’ve totally over indulged the last few weeks so I’m craving proper healthy food again. No diets or deprivation, just loads of low-stress, home cooked meals – heavy on the veg and beans with plenty of fish and small servings of well-bred meat. 

Recipes like this are fab because they’re easy and inexpensive and form the base of lots of different meals. Tonight we’ll have the baked beans with baked potatoes and slaw made from red cabbage, carrot and Brussels, finely shredded and dressed with plain yoghurt, Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar. We might top them with a poached egg, crumbled cheese or some crispy halloumi. Because I make a big batch of the beans each time I make them, I always have plenty to freeze in individual servings for easy dinners in future.

Here are some of the other meals you can make with your baked beans

• Cassoulet – put the cooked beans in a baking dish, top with skin-on, bone in chicken thighs. Sprinkle the chicken with Herbs de Provence or dried oregano and breadcrumbs and bake until the chicken is cooked through. Stir chopped watercress or rocket (arugula) through the beans just before serving to add extra greenery.
• Soup – just thin the beans down with stock for a hearty soup. Swirl homemade pesto through for an extra hit of greenery and flavour.
• Vegetarian curry – Fry a clove of chopped garlic in a tablespoon of butter with a pinch of chili flakes and teaspoon each of garam masala and cumin seeds. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Stir this spice mixture into the hot beans along with baby leaf spinach. Let the spinach wilt in the heat. Serve with a wedge of lime, warm flatbread, plain yoghurt, mango chutney and chopped coriander (cilantro).
• With eggs – poached eggs and avocado with the beans on toasted sourdough is a breakfast of champions.

Ingredients

(This makes enough for 4 people as a main. I usually double it to have plenty for other meals or to freeze.)