Think posh beans on toast with an Italian twist; high in protein and super filling. Perfect for weekends when you have time to spend preparing and eating lunch, treat the family and make them bruschetta with baked borlotti beans and roasted peppers for their midday meal. Alternatively, if you’re reaching a mid-week lunchtime and flaking, wondering how you’re going to find the energy to continue with the day; you need a proper, filling, protein packed lunch. Whip up this bruschetta with baked borlotti beans and roasted peppers for a healthy alternative, and never go back to toast and beans in a can again.
This dish even helps you to hit your five a day with beans, peppers, and even olives (did you know they count as part of your 5 a day?). And you can even imagine yourself in the French Mediterranean with the assistance of sundried tomatoes and French borlotti beans, or nearby in Italy with the crunchy ciabatta bread. And if the combination of daydreaming and beautifully topped ciabatta isn’t enough to get you back on track, I don’t know what is.
1. Heat the oven to 180C fan, gas 6. Tip the borlotti beans into a large roasting dish along with the garlic, 2 of the sliced peppers and 2tbsp of the olive oil. Season to taste then bake for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through.
2. In a food processor or blender, blitz the remaining pepper and olive oil with the sun-dried tomatoes to create a loose paste. Stir the paste through the warm beans and set aside while you toast the bread.
3. Drizzle a little extra oil over the slices of bread and return to the oven until lightly toasted and brown. Stir the parsley into the beans, spoon on the toasts and serve.
Ingredients
- 600g canned borlotti beans, drained and rinsed 3 large roasted peppers (from a jar), thinly sliced
- 3tbsp olive oil
- 1 head of garlic, sliced in half
- 40g sun-dried tomatoes
- 4tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 large ciabatta loaf, split lengthways then halved
