Name: Smoky Black Bean Bake
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 1 red onion, very finely sliced; 2 limes, juiced + zested; Squeeze of honey or agave; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; 4 tbsp tomato paste; 1½ tsp smoked paprika; 1 smokey chilli like ancho or chipotle, finely chopped - reduce or increase as to your tolerance! (chefs hack: if using dried chilli, snip them with scissors); 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 jar Bod Bean Co. Queen Black Beans with their bean stock; 180 g grated cheddar; 4 tablespoons of sour cream or creme fraiche; A small bunch of coriander (roughly 15 g); Optional: Tortilla chips, to serve; Ancho/chipotle chilli - ½ tsp chilli flakes; Sour cream - greek yoghurt or a dairy free alternative; Cheddar - mozzarella with a few gratings of parmesan

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Dietary key

V
Vegetarian
V*
Vegetarian Option
Ve
Vegan
Ve*
Vegan Option
G
Gluten-Free
G*
Gluten-Free Option
D
Dairy-Free
D*
Dairy-Free Option

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Onion

1 red onion, very finely sliced
2 limes, juiced + zested
Squeeze of honey or agave

For the beans

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
4 tbsp tomato paste
1½ tsp smoked paprika
1 smokey chilli like ancho or chipotle, finely chopped - reduce or increase as to your tolerance! (chefs hack: if using dried chilli, snip them with scissors)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 jar Bod Bean Co. Queen Black Beans with their bean stock
180 g grated cheddar

Herby Sour Cream

4 tablespoons of sour cream or creme fraiche
A small bunch of coriander (roughly 15 g)
Optional: Tortilla chips, to serve

Substitutions

Ancho/chipotle chilli - ½ tsp chilli flakes
Sour cream - greek yoghurt or a dairy free alternative
Cheddar - mozzarella with a few gratings of parmesan

Directions

step 1
Heat the oven to 220° Celsius.
step 2
First pickle your onions by mixing them with the lime juice in a small bowl with a squeeze of honey or agave and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
step 3
In a big oven-proof saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Fry the garlic until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, ancho and cumin (be careful of splattering), and fry for 30 seconds, reducing the heat as needed to prevent the garlic from burning.
step 4
Add the beans, with their bean stock and generous pinches of salt and pepper, you may need to add a bit more water or stock here, you want it to be a molten porridge-like consistency. Simmer on a low heat for 8-10 minutes until you achieve this.
step 5
Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top then bake until the cheese has melted, 5 to 10 minutes.
step 6
While the beans are cooking, put all of the herby sour cream ingredients into a food processor (coriander stalks and all), pour the lime juice from the red onions into it too, then whizz until smooth. Season to taste.
step 7
When the beans are browned, leave to sit for a few minutes before serving into bowls, dolloped with the sour cream and pickled onions.

Smoky Black Bean Bake