Baked Cannellini Beans In Tomatoes

This is a very comforting home-styled Baked Cannellini Beans In Tomatoes. A perfect meat-free dish that’s packed with plenty of nutritional benefits. Cannellini beans are high in fiber, low fat, and contains magnesium, iron, protein, and folate. If you can’t get cannellini beans, then, you may consider to substitute with other white beans, such as Great Northern or Navy bean. Enjoy this great tasting fresh baked beans with your favorite bread. My pick is a couple of sliced toasty baguette.


Recipe adapted from Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros (pg 48)

Baked Cannellini Beans In Tomatoes

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Dried Cannellini Beans, soaked overnight (in cold water)
1 Sage Sprig
1 Bay Leaf
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion, finely diced
3 Tbsp Chopped Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 ½ tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika Powder
1 Can (28 oz/1 lb 12 oz/794 g) Diced Tomatoes
3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Sea Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Method

Put the beans in a large pan, cover with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil. Skim the surface, lower the heat and add the sage sprig and bay leaf. If the bay leaf is fresh, add it towards the end of cooking. High simmer for about an hour, uncovered, topping up with hot water if it seems necessary. Add about a tsp of salt towards the end.

Preheat the oven to 350˚F/180˚C/Gas Mark 4.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Sauté the onion for a few minutes until it is golden and a bit sticky. Add parsley, cook for a few minutes and then stir in the garlic and paprika. When you can smell the garlic, add tomatoes, tomato paste, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until they melt into a sauce. From time to time stir and squash them with your wooden spoon. Season the mixture well with salt and pepper.

Drain the beans and add to the casserole with 3 cups (750 ml) of hot water. Bring to a fast boil and boil for a few minutes. Put the dish, uncovered, in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until it looks golden on the top. It’s not necessary to stir, but check a couple of times that nothing is sticking. Turn down the heat to 300˚F/150˚C/Gas 2, add a little hot water if it looks dry and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Taste and season with salt, put the lid back on and turn off the oven. Leave the beans in the oven to cool down a bit before serving.

Serves 8