This week we’re eating… warming pesto butter beans

I eat a mostly plant-based diet – but sometimes I really crave stodgy comfort food. Pasta also triggers my IBS, so I tend to avoid it, but these warming pesto butter beans, inspired by the wonderful Deliciously Ella, is a brilliant substitute. The homemade pesto is so yummy I could eat it by the spoonful, the beans are comforting and the pomegranate seeds give it a little crunch and a pop of colour.

It’s so quick and easy to make – it took me about 15 minutes. The recipe below serves two but I made enough of that there was extra for my lunch the next couple of days. It’s just as good cold or is easy enough to warm up in a pan the next day.

I’m vegetarian but Cardiff Daddy accompanied his with salmon and said it was lovely.

Here’s what to do.

Ingredients – serves 2

For the pesto

2 garlic cloves

100g pine nuts

50g basil leaves

6 tbsp olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and pepper to season

For the beans

2 x 400g cans of butter beans, dtained and rinsed

200g spinach

2tbsp Olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

Handful of pumpkin seeds

60g pomegranate seeds

1. To make the pesto. Peel the garlic and then put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Then, put the beans, spinach and pesto into a large frying pan, add 2tbsp olive oil and saute for 3-4 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the beans and pesto are warm. Add the lemon juice and some black pepper and cook for another minute or two.
3. Place into a bowl, and sprinkle the pumpkin and pomegranate seeds on top.

Let me know if you give it a go. For more healthy eating recipe inspiration, see the food section of Cardiff Mummy Says.

Recipe inspired by Deliciously Ella Every Day.

You might also like: sweet potato, and black bean stew