Vegetarian mains
BBQ Beans and Baked Sweet Potatoes
This take on smoky-flavoured beans uses date syrup instead of sugar to add a little dark, rich sweetness to the sauce. Baked sweet potato makes a comforting alternative to the usual spud. It's got a little warmth, too, from the chilli flakes - add them to your taste.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- olive oil
- 2 red onions
- 1 brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 15g thyme
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 x 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes - add to taste
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp date syrup
- 100g curly kale
- 1 tin haricot beans
- 15g parsley
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Rub the sweet potatoes with a little oil and salt. Place in a roasting tin. Lightly prick each once with a knife. Roast for 50-55 mins, or until soft.
-
Step 2
Halve the red onions, through the root. Peel, then chop through the root into thin wedges (if a few bits fall apart, don't worry, still use them). Place in another roasting tin, toss in enough oil to coat and season. Set aside for now.
-
Step 3
Peel, halve and slice the brown onion. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium saucepan. Gently fry the onion for 10 mins, stirring now and then. Add a splash of water if it looks like catching. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Strip 2 tbsp of thyme leaves.
-
Step 4
Into the brown onion, stir the garlic, tomato purée, vinegar, smoked paprika, thyme and chilli flakes, to your taste for heat (if unsure, add some, taste and add more later).
-
Step 5
Add the chopped tomatoes, bay and date syrup. Half fill the tomato can with water; add that. Simmer for 15 mins. Place the red onions in the oven to roast, while you continue.
-
Step 6
Strip the kale leaves off their stalks. Tear up any larger leaves, so they're roughly the same size. Drain and rinse the beans.
-
Step 7
After 15 mins, stir the beans into the tomato sauce. Simmer, stirring often, while you continue. Chop the parsley. Remove the onions from the oven. Toss. Lay the kale on top. Roast for 8-10 mins, until the kale is starting to colour.
-
Step 8
Remove the kale and baked sweet potatoes from the oven. Stir ¾ of the parsley into the beans. Halve the sweet potatoes. Fill with beans. Toss the kale with the onions; season to taste. Serve alongside the sweet potato and beans,sprinkled with remaining parsley.