BLACK BEANS & BUTTERNUT SQUASH ON TOAST

Black beans are probably my favourite of all the beans. They make a mean 'hummus' style dip if you drain them, and blend them with a little olive oil, garlic, coriander, lime juice and sea salt; but let's leave that recipe for another day. Back to today. I am posting yet another butternut squash recipe and even thought I feel a little lazy for doing so, I'm not going to apologise. They are a relatively inexpensive vegetable and they never seem to go bad. I've had this one for over a week and it is still perfect. I can't remember ever having to throw out an unused squash because it has spoiled before I got a chance to use it. There is a lot to be said for hardy vegetables like squash, especially as we all rightly so become more conscious of our food waste.

We're having quite the cold spell of weather here in Ireland at the moment and there is a real temptation to revert back to cooking Winter warming style dishes. That just feels like taking a step backwards though, so instead I'm focusing on all the sunshine and blue skies that are accompanying the cold. Spring vibes are very much in the air and this dish feels like a good compromise between a warming comfort dish and a fresher Spring time recipe.

Keep scrolling for the recipe and let me know if you give it a try. PS: At the end of the recipe, I've included some links to other butternut squash recipes for any of you squash fans out there x

Serves 2.

Ingredients

2 tsp coconut oil

1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces.

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 400g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup passata

1 cup of water

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to season.

To serve

Crumbled feta

Toasted Bread

Method

Heat the coconut oil in a medium to large saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the red onion and butternut squash and cook for five minutes before adding the crushed garlic. Cook for a further minute and then add the spices. Stir to coat the vegetables with the spices and cook for a further minute.

Add the black beans, the passata and a cup of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low heat and allow to cook slowly for 30-40 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce has thickened and the squash is tender, taste and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Serve topped with crumbled feta and a slice of your favourite bread toasted.

PS: If you have caught the butternut squash bug just like me, here's some other recipes using this delicious vegetable:

Goat Cheese, Squash & Pomegranate Salad

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Stew

Roast Butternut Squash, Black Olives & Basil Pasta