Harissa and lemon beans

She comes together in under 10 minutes, she’s spicy she’s tangy and she’s gonna fill you up when you mop it with a fat toasted slice of sourdough bread!

These beans are to die for. They’re so comforting and yet healthy, and the addition of fresh chilly and harissa really pack a punch. I’m not sure why but the tomato paste, combined with the sauce, gives it a slightly caramelised quality that you wouldn’t normally get. Here I topped them with some fresh basil but it would be lovely to add toasted breadcrumbs, parsley, dill, fried onions… you name it!

For the sake of practicality I used canned lima beans, but you can use any other white beans (cannellini for instance), both dry, canned or fresh. Read here all my tips to cook the perfect beans!

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Ingredients

Serves: 4 portions

Prepping time: 10 min with canned beans / 1 day if you’re soaking dry beans

Cooking time: 15 min with canned beans / 45 min with dry beans

• 500g white canned beans

• 1 onion

• 1 fresh chilly

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 500g tomato sauce - I used datterini

• 1 teaspoon harissa

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• Fresh herbs to top - I used basil

• Parmesan to grate on top

• Salt, pepper and olive oil to taste

Preparation

• Thinly cube the onion and let it cook in a hot pan with oil and the chilly.

• When translucent, add the tomato paste and mix.

• Add your rinsed beans and keep on mixing: finally add the tomato sauce, the harissa and lower the heat to allow it to reduce.

• Once you’re happy with the consistency of the sauce add your lemon and lemon zest and serve by sprinkling it with some parmesan and your fresh herbs.

• Eat hot or cold, it will be equally delicious!