Cheesy potato and homemade baked bean pie
When I set out to recreate tinned baked beans I had no idea they’d be this easy or this GOOD. Just wow. They’re a little bit smoky, a little bit sweet and tomatoey and smothered in buttery mashed potato and good cheddar, oh lord, just absolute heaven.
This is so good on its own but on a cold and frosty winter day you might go for a very long walk in the woods, in which case fry up a couple of good sausages to go with it.
- Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
For the beans:
- olive oil
- 2 x 400g tins of haricot beans
- 1 large, finely chopped, standard yellow onion
- heaped tablespoon of smoked paprika, to be fair I just threw a load in!
- tablespoon of clear honey
- good pinch of sea salt
- tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
For the mash:
- 3-4 large white floury potatoes
- 250 ml whole milk*
- 100g butter*
- sea salt
- couple of handfuls of grated strong cheddar
- Note: You can buy frozen mash that’s just potato, butter and milk if you’re making this in a real hurry. Obvs defrost it beforehand!
*I never measure the milk and butter, I just stick it in a bit at a time til it comes right. Creamy and buttery.
Nuush clients: Please apply the portion sizes stated in your account and divide the recipe so that you make only as much you need.
Instructions
For the mash
Cut the potatoes into quarters and boil in a large pan of salted water until you can poke a knife through them. Mash them with a flat-bedded masher with small’ish holes until there are no lumps, then add the butter and mash that in, then the milk and mash that in too. Finally season to taste, with the salt and give it a quick ‘whip’ with the masher, just for a few seconds. Set to one side.
For the beans
Gently fry the onion in olive oil until translucent then add the smoked paprika, stir and cook for another minute or two. Tip in the beans with the juice from one of the cans (drain the other one) and add the salt, honey and tomato puree. I seem to remember perhaps adding a squeeze of ketchup here too but I tend to forget what I did sometimes – try it if you wish, it’ll do no harm!
Let them gently bubble away for a few minutes to thicken the sauce and intensify the flavour. You must always taste your cooking as you go along and adjust it til it’s right, I keep a little dish at the side to transfer small amounts of whatever I’m cooking into, I might experiment with different things in that little pot in case they work!
Assembly and baking
Tip the beans into a shallow ovenproof dish and top with the mash and plenty of good strong grated cheddar. Bake in a 170deg oven until the cheese is golden and bubbling, about 15-20 mins.
Nutrition Info
Haricot beans
Haricot beans are a fantastic source of folate for brain, nervous system and cardiovascular health. They are also high in fibre which feeds the friendly critters that live in your gut which have such a profound influence on your overall health!
Find your new natural
Cut my pie into four pieces, I don’t think I could eat eight.
Yogi Berra
Portion Guidelines
Instead of living with the bore of weighing food, counting points or calories and tapping everything you eat into a phone you can use nature’s custom-designed tool – your hands!
