Greek-Style Tomato and Bean Bake with Feta and Honey Topping

Name: Greek-Style Tomato and Bean Bake with Feta and Honey Topping
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: European, Greek, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1.2kg cooked butter beans (about 500g uncooked butter beans, soaked, rinsed and drained); 2 large onions, sliced; 3 tbsp olive oil; 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; chili flakes, to taste; 2 bay leaves; 2 tbsp fresh oregano or thyme leaves (or 2 tsp dried); 2 large handfuls of fresh parsley, leaves roughly chopped and stems finely chopped; 2 tbsp tomato puree; 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes or 800g fresh tomatoes; 100ml vegetable stock; 600g green beans (frozen when out of season); sea salt and black pepper; juice and zest of 1/2 lemon; 400g feta, crumbled; 1 handful of chopped walnuts or pine nuts; 2 tsp raw honey

8 steps

Prep:20minCook:1h

I’m playing fast and loose with the rules here and combining elements of two of my favourite Greek stews – fasolakia and gigantes plaki – in this delicious, super-comforting one-pot bake. For the best possible taste and texture use dried beans which you’ll need to soak rst. If you’re short of time, use 5 tins of cooked beans or, if you can, the jarred ones, which tend to have a better texture than tinned. Serve with a simple lemon-dressed green salad. You could cook this whole thing on the stove, then crumble the feta on top to melt in, but I like this best baked in a very hot oven, letting the feta get golden on top.

Updated at: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 20:33:42 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Moderate

Nutrition per serving

Calories484.8 kcal (24%)

Total Fat28.2 g (40%)

Carbs42.3 g (16%)

Sugars14.1 g (16%)

Protein21.5 g (43%)

Sodium1100.6 mg (55%)

Fiber11.3 g (40%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Instructions

Step 1

If using uncooked beans, bring to the boil in a large ovenproof pan with some salt, cover with a lid and simmer for about 50 minutes until tender, then drain.

Step 2

Fry the onion in the oil in a large ovenproof pan (use the same one you cooked the beans in) for 8 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Step 3

Add the garlic, spices, oregano or thyme and parsley stems and cook for another few minutes.

Step 4

Turn up the heat, stir through the tomato purée for a minute, then add the tomatoes, stock and a good pinch of sea salt and pepper. Pop the lid on to bring to the boil more quickly, then immediately turn down to a medium heat for 20 minutes, uncovered, to reduce and thicken.

Step 5

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to fan 220°C.

Step 6

Turn the heat up again to high, add the green beans and the cooked butter beans and bring to the boil. Give it a good stir, then pop into the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Step 7

By the end, it should be thickly sauced and the green beans will be tender. Turn the grill onto high, remove the pan from the oven and stir through most of the parsley leaves, the lemon juice and zest and taste for seasoning.

Step 8

Scatter the feta over the top and pop back in the oven on the top shelf for a final 8 minutes for the feta to brown under the grill. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts and drizzle with the honey to serve.