Make These Creamy Tomato Basil Beans in Under an Hour
Welcome to the fifteenth instalment of my series where I test out recipes from an obscure 1990s Italian cookbook. This time, I tried another dish from the ‘Antipasto’ section, Beans with Tomato (Fagioli al Pomodoro):
I have to say, beans get a bad rep for being a bit uninspiring, but I’m here to advocate on their behalf, partly because of the Italian influence on my dad’s side; he always cooks them from scratch, served with some good quality olive oil, a pile of parmesan, and freshly cracked black pepper. Beans are light, rich in protein and fibre, and you can add just about anything you like to them – veg, meat, cheese, spices – the possibilities are endless.
Hence why – surprise surprise – I changed a lot of what was recommended in this recipe. Perhaps the biggest change was omitting the anchovies. I suppose now is the time to admit that despite my love and obsession with all things food, I’ve never been able to get behind fish *gasp*
Believe me when I say I’ve tried many times to force myself to enjoy all kinds of seafood, cooked and uncooked, and try as I might, I just can’t appreciate any of it.
Moving swiftly on from this shameful confession, here are some less controversial changes I made to the recipe:
- I used a lot less butter and added a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil too as I think it’s sacrilegious not to.
- I reduced the amount of garlic and added a red onion.
- I didn’t bother peeling the tomatoes as I thought it would be a bit of a faff.
- I also added some parmesan to make it creamy – not the healthiest choice but you could definitely add yoghurt or another lighter alternative.
- I adjusted all of the quantities drastically as I wasn’t planning to eat 1kg of beans by myself… I soaked them and cooked them in the slow cooker beforehand, but you can also use a standard can of cannellini beans. If you do have the time and patience, however, I really recommend going to the bother as the texture is so much better.
I’d also recommend serving with some fresh bread, and if you’d like to go the extra mile of making it yourself, check out the Italian Bread recipe from instalment eight.
BOOK RECIPE RATING: 8/10
So, I hope my revised version inspires you to give beans a chance and experiment with whatever you have in the cupboards, even if that happens to be a can of anchovies…
Creamy Tomato Basil Beans
Ingredients
- Butter dessert spoonful
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus extra to drizzle
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped into cubes
- Basil handful, chopped [plus extra to garnish]
- Pinch of sugar [see notes]
- 500 g cannellini beans drained [see notes]
- 25 g parmesan finely grated [plus extra to garnish]
- Salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a medium sized saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for about ten minutes or until translucent and golden brown. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, and sugar, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are beginning to soften.
- Add the beans and top with some water until covered. Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the beans are tender and the water has reduced into a creamy sauce.
- Add in the parmesan and stir before seasoning with plenty of salt and pepper.
- Serve with some fresh or toasted bread.
Notes
- I soaked the beans overnight and cooked them in the slow cooker beforehand, but you can also use a standard can of cannellini beans. If you do have the time and patience, however, I really recommend going to the bother as the texture is so much better.
- Adding sugar is completely optional but can help balance out the tartness of the tomatoes.
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