Sweet potato and bean bake (vegan)
Our recipe of the month, from holistic nutritionist Nikki Robertson, is this winter warming sweet potato and bean bake
I like to use up whatever’s around in recipes. So I had a tin of butter beans and a little left of two types of dried beans, which I cooked first. The bake is delicious served with a helping of microgreens for an added boost of nutrients. (Lightfoots have a great selection – contact me if you want a promo code)
What’s good about our sweet potato and bean bake? It’s packed with fibre and prebiotic fibre, plus protein, betacarotene (converts to vitamin A), vitamin B and vitamin C. Which means it’s anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory – a whole lot of goodness we all need at this time of year.
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
- 2 x 14oz (400g) cans black beans, drained (or 3 cups cooked beans of your choice)
- 7oz (200g) cheese, grated (can be vegan)
- handful parsley, chopped
For the sauce
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1tsp ground cumin, more to season layers
- 2tsp smoked paprika, more to season layers
- 1tsp mixed herbs, more to season layers
- (400g) can chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup (60ml) tomato purée
- 2 carrots, grated
To make the sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the diced onion and garlic and fry until fragrant (3-4 minutes). Next, add in spices and herbs cooking for another minute, stirring.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grate the carrots straight into the sauce, add a little water here if you feel you need to.
- Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is reduced and thickens.
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Spread half of the tomato at the bottom of a baking dish.
To assemble the bake
- Slice the sweet potatoes into 0.1in (3mm) thin slices and try to make each slice the same thickness – a mandolin is great if you have one.
- Place a layer of sweet potato on the tomato sauce, overlapping slightly. Season with salt, herbs and smoked paprika.
- Next spread half the beans on top of the potato. Follow with another layer of sweet potato, and season with salt, herbs and smoked paprika.
- Spread the second half of the beans followed by a third layer of sweet potato. Again season with salt, herbs and smoked paprika.
- Finally, top with the remaining tomato sauce. Cover with a piece of foil and bake for about 40-50 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese of your choice, and bake without cover for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.