Bean and Vegetable Stew

One of my good friends said they loved this recipe for Bean Stew found on Taste in her household so I had to try it.

The red onion is sauteed to soften. The recipe says very little oil but the moment I was pouring the oil in my baby distracted me (he was attempting to eat a 5c coin he found on the floor) so I actually used a good helping.    

In goes a garlic and middle eastern spices. I chose to use this spice blend Ras El Hanout that we found at the markets on the weekend. Usually we don't buy blends but toast and grind our spices. But we have never used this particular blend before and now we have bought it we know what goes in it and can experiment a little with our own blend. Plus the man who sells it is so friendly!

Next goes in diced tin tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, mushrooms and capsicum. I also half filled my tomato tin with water and added this. The whole thing is then simmered for about 15 minutes, I actually covered it for 10 minutes and then uncovered for about a further 5 minutes.

Add a drained and rinsed tin of cannellini beans and some pre-cooked pumpkin. Simmer this for a further 10 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in some shredded basil. Pour into a serving dish, cover with cheese and grill.

Serve with some crusty bread.

It was a really delicious and satisfying dinner. The spices add a depth to the dish but were not a prominent flavour. The basil really freshened it up and the grilled cheese on top was a great addition. And it was easy, quick and healthy.