Grilled Vegetables with Mashed White Beans

Getting tired of pasta, polenta, and potatoes as an accompaniment to your veg? Want something less carby?

Try mashed beans. With the consistency of mashed potatoes or polenta, and the heartiness of legumes, this dish of mashed white beans makes an unexpected yet satisfying side for grilled veggies.

It's really easy, too, with canned beans (any type of white beans will do, especially small haricot beans or Great Northern or Navy beans) and a cube of vegetable stock. The vegetables grilled quickly in my grill oven, but if the weather's nice enough for a barbecue, you could try that too. I didn't have any courgette (zucchini) but any combination of Mediterranean vegetables will work. You could add a couple of tomatoes too if you have some good fresh ones.

Altogether, it took less than an hour, from opening the cans and slicing the vegetables, to serving it on the table. Not bad for an evening's work.

For instructions, see below.

Grilled Vegetables with Mashed White Beans

2 peppers (red, yellow, or orange), quartered   
1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 onion, quartered
Olive oil
14 ounce can white beans (Navy, haricot, great Northern, cannellini, etc.)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, minced
chopped basil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon, cut in wedges to serve

Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil. Heat the oven to hot (400F or 200C). (If you only have a convection oven, you'll want to use a grill or toaster oven.)  Roast the vegetables until they begin to turn black in spots, about 6 minutes each side.

Meanwhile, make the beans: Rinse the beans well. Add to the stock along with the garlic, and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes while the vegetables roast. Mash with a potato masher, adding more stock (or beans, if the mixture is too watery) until smooth. Grind black pepper over the top.

To serve: Scoop the beans on to a plate, and cover with the vegetables. Sprinkle with basil and squeeze a lemon wedge over the top.

Comments

[Hilary]

Looks great!