This butterbean dish is really filling and so cheap to make even though it’s suprisingly tasty. In summer I’ve made this with foraged nettles and herbs from my garden which keeps the price down even more.

I know I seems like a long time to cook everything but that’s to increase the flavours. We served ours with a roll or some bread to mop up all the lovely tomato juices.

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Thursday
Breakfast
Toast with jam/peanut butter or Porridge

Lunch
Egg or cheese mayo rolls/sandwich

Dinner
Butter beans with tomatoes and spinach

Snack
Coffee cake

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Butter Beans with Tomatoes and Spinach
Adapted from Rick Stein From Venice to Istanbul

Ingredients

2 x 400g tin Butter beans
2 red onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ Teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoons tomato pureé
1 and 1/2 x 400g tin tomatoes (use the rest from day 4)
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large handfuls of frozen spinach
Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Small handful fresh mint, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C or Gas Mark 3.

Gently soften the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.

When soft, stir in the paprika, tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, 100ml water, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and butter beans and take off the heat.

Add the chopped herbs.

Transfer the beans to a casserole pan, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for  about 20-25 minutes until the beans are tender and the sauce thickened and bubbling.