recipe: sundried tomato pesto & butterbean salad

11 | May | 2015

I spotted that Aldi are now selling butter beans; I picked up a couple of tins last week and developed this recipe. Butterbeans make a really filling base for a salad. this be enjoyed solo or enjoyed as a side element to a larger meal.

Butter beans are a great source of fibre, protein and potassium. This keeps well in the fridge, just bring it to room temperature before serving.

packed with

makes 4 side servings

2 tbsp of nuts (I used pine; flaked almonds or pecans also go nicely) + an additional sprinkling for serving
2 tins of butter beans
100g sundried tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & black pepper

make and do

- toast the nuts in a dry pan until golden brown (watch carefully!). set to the side and allow to cool for a few minutes
- drain the butter beans in a colander and rinse with cold water
- add the sundried tomatoes, nuts and garlic to a blender and pulse until combined to a paste, add a drizzle of the oil to thin out the paste if necessary. this could also be done by hand with a pestle & mortar with a little patience.
- add the paste to the beans in a bowl and stir through
- fry off on a dry pan (low heat) to gently warm through the butter beans (you’re not cooking the beans as such but adding some heat brings out the garlic flavour)
- season with salt and pepper & dig in
- this can be eaten warm or cold, I served mine with rocket, basil, a drizzle of oil olive and avocado, it was delicious!

with a twist

- hold back some of the tomatoes from the paste and add them at the final step adding some extra texture to the salad

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