Recipe: bready beans by Shivi Ramoutar
A one-pot wonder that turns baked beans into a centrepiece

No offence to Heinz, said Shivi Ramoutar, but this simple, one-pot recipe turns baked beans into a centrepiece, with the simple addition of a few store-cupboard staples.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 spring onions, snipped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained
- juice of ½ lemon
- vegetable stock cube
- 2 mugs of torn stale bread
- 1 heaped tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 bunch of basil
Method
- Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan and soften the spring onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, or until the aromas hit you.
- Add the remaining ingredients with a little seasoning and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, pop the lid on and cook for about 10 mins, keeping an eye out to make sure the bread has absorbed some liquid but isn’t soggy. Season to taste, divide into bowls and enjoy.
- Tips: top with grated cheese, sliced cooked sausage, a fried egg. If I have some spinach that needs using up, I throw it into this dish too.
Recipe from “Cook Clever: One Chop, No Waste, All Taste” by Shivi Ramoutar, published by HarperCollins at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk
Sign up for the Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 16 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include the Epstein files landing on everyone's summer reading list, and the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
-
Viktor Orban: is time up for Europe's longest-serving premier?
Today's Big Question Hungarian PM's power is under threat 'but not in the way – or from the people – one might expect'
-
Operation Rubific: the government's secret Afghan relocation scheme
The Explainer Massive data leak a 'national embarrassment' that has ended up costing taxpayer billions
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventure
Feature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'
Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Oasis reunited: definitely maybe a triumph
Talking Point The reunion of a band with 'the power of Led Zeppelin' and 'the swagger of the Rolling Stones'
-
Kiefer / Van Gogh: a 'remarkable double act'
The Week Recommends Visit this 'heroic' and 'absurd' exhibition at the Royal Academy until 26 October
-
Mark Billingham shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The novelist and actor shares works by Mark Lewisohn, John Connolly and Gillian Flynn
-
Properties of the week: grand rural residences
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Wiltshire, Devon, and East Sussex
-
Heads of State: 'a perfect summer movie'
The Week Recommends John Cena and Idris Elba have odd-couple chemistry as the US president and British prime minister