20
Produced by Aimee Nishitoba. Photo by Christie Vuong. Food Styling by Matthew Kimura. Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.
Everyone needs a go-to bean recipe, and this has been recipe developer Stefanie Phillips's go-to for as long as she can remember. A riff on the classic English beans on toast, it’s made better with harissa, a North African chili paste. It’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner that will please the whole table.
4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 1⁄2 tbsp harissa paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 540-mL cans cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth or water
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Crusty bread, for serving
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 350F.
Microwave 2 tbsp butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl on high until melted, 30 sec to 1 min. Stir in sugar, tomato paste, harissa, oil, vinegar, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Season with pepper.
Combine beans with broth and harissa mixture in a deep 7 × 9-in. baking dish. Stir until beans are evenly coated.
Bake for 30 min. Stir spinach and remaining 2 tbsp butter into bean mixture. Continue baking until spinach is dark green, about 5 more min.
Remove dish from oven. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Serve on warm crusty bread with a sprinkling of cilantro.
The spice level of harissa varies by brand, so taste before using to gauge your own tolerance.