This butter bean mash with sauteed portobello mushrooms, kale, and crunchy almond breadcrumbs hits all the spots. Creamy, crunchy, and packed with flavour. It is an easy stovetop meal that will satisfy vegans and meat-eaters alike.
Servings4
Equipment
- Food processor – see the notes for workaround if you don't have one.
Ingredients
Spicy Bread Crumbs
- 2 cups sourdough or ciabatta, torn in chunks (from about 2 thick slices)
- ¾ cup almonds
- 8 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, or more depending on spice tolerance
- ½ teaspoon ground sea salt
Lemony Butter Bean Mash
- 3 cups cooked and drained butter beans, the equivalent of two 14-oz cans (400-gram tins)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the dressing
- 1 large lemon, juice and zest separated
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon ground salt
Garlicky Mushrooms & Kale
- olive oil
- 8 medium to large portobello mushrooms, sliced thickly
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of the knife and sliced
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 large bunch kale, destemmed and roughly torn
- black pepper
Instructions
- Place the torn chunks of bread in a food processor and blitz until the bread crumbs are roughly almond-sized. Add the almonds and most of the thyme – reserving some thyme leaves to scatter over the plated meal – and blitz into a coarse crumb.
- Place a large, heavy large frying pan on medium-high heat to warm up. The pan will be reused for the sauteed mushrooms and kale. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the breadcrumb mix from the food processor. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Turn down the heat if the crumbs are toasting too quickly. It will crackle and start to smell like toasted almonds. Add the chilli flakes and salt and cook for a final 30 seconds. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and leave to cool completely.
- Rinse the food processor and add the drained beans along with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ¼ cup cold water and 1 teaspoon ground sea salt. Make the butter bean mash by blitzing until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Mix the remaining lemon juice and zest in a small bowl with a glug of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set the lemon dressing aside until needed.
- Wipe clean the pan you used for the breadcrumbs. You will need to do the mushrooms in two batches. (Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven, see the notes for more information.) Place the pan on high heat to warm. Add a few glugs of olive oil. Add half the mushrooms to the pan with 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and toss in the oil. Cook the mushrooms until they start to get some colour and lose moisture, roughly 5 minutes. If the pan becomes dry, add another splash of oil. Put the cooked mushrooms in a bowl and repeat with the remaining mushrooms and another teaspoon of cumin seeds.
- Once cooked, return all the mushrooms to the pan with the garlic and a teaspoon of salt. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and golden before adding the kale. You may need to add the kale in batches to make space in the pan. Season with more salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook, stirring every so often until the kale is wilted and the mushrooms smell fantastic while you start heating up the butter bean mash.
- Transfer the mashed beans to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat, stirring often. It should take roughly 5 minutes to warm through.
- Divide the butter bean mash between 4 shallow bowls or plates and top with a portion of sauteed mushroom and kale. Sprinkle over the crunchy breadcrumbs and the reserved thyme leaves. Drizzle with the lemon dressing and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have a large enough pan, or you already have the oven on, you can also cook the mushrooms in the oven. Place the sliced mushrooms in a single layer on a baking tray. Cook for 40 minutes at 390 °F (200 °C) before adding to the pan with the garlic and kale.
- If you don't have a food processor: Use hand-torn chunks of bread; chop the almonds with a knife; roughly mash the butter beans with a fork.
- This is a great meal to serve guests. Most components can be made in advance and quickly cooked before dinner. This recipe serves four with a side salad. But if you have big appetites, make extra mash for a more generous portion. Or add a poached egg and some avocado slices.
- Any leftover butter bean mash can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days and reheated as needed.