Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has shared a heart-warming recipe for giant baked beans that’s perfect for those chilly days.
This culinary delight is not only brimming with plant-based protein and fibre but also bursts with the delicious combination of meaty or vegetarian sausage meatballs, sweet tomatoes and tangy feta cheese.
Speaking of his creation, Jamie said: “Mediterraneans love their beans – all kinds of different varieties – and inspired by some delicious mezze I had in Thessaloniki, I came up with this very simple, tasty dish that we all love at home.”
Butter beans are packed with plant-based protein and fibre and are a popular alternative for refined carbs like potato, white pasta and white rice.
Ideal for a cosy family meal, this nutrient heavy one pot recipe can go from prep to plate in less than 60 minutes.
Here’s how to make Jamie’s giant baked beans at home.
Ingredients:
- Six spicy higher-welfare pork sausages or veggie alternative (400g total)
- 320g frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot and celery (you can use fresh also)
- One 700g jar of giant butter beans or 2 x 400g tins of butter beans
- Two 400g tins of plum tomatoes
- 200g feta cheese
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Place a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat with one tablespoon of olive oil.
Pull the sausage meat out of the skins into rustic 3cm balls and put straight into the pan. Brown all over for three minutes, then remove to a plate.
Place the frozen mixed veg in the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, then tip in the beans (juices and all). Scrunch in the tomatoes through clean hands, season with black pepper, then bring to the boil.
Finely break up and stir through half the feta, dot in the sausage meatballs, then coarsely break the rest of the feta into chunks and scatter on top.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden, thick, and bubbling. Jamie said: “I love it served as is or with a hunk of fresh bread for dunking and mopping up the sauce.”
