I often find that some of the best recipes I’ve ever discovered are the ones I’ve made up on the spot using leftovers in the fridge and a few condiments from the store cupboard. This recipe is no exception. It was a Friday night, I hadn’t planned what I would have for tea that day and so got to work digging through my freezer to find meat that I could defrost in the microwave relatively quickly.
The fantastic thing about this dish is that it can be made using whatever you have in your kitchen. I have used cannellini beans because I always keep a tin in just in case I want to liven a dish up, but kidney beans or chickpeas would work just as nicely. The incorporation of some leftover soya cream and half eaten dairy free chocolate also produces a casserole with a really creamy consistency which is truly beautiful on the palette when mixed up with the spice of the chilli powder.
I did leave the casserole to stew for a good 20 minutes after I had thrown everything in to ensure that all the flavours could fully express themselves, but I reckon this dish could give some of Jamie Oliver’s 15 minute meals a run for their money. It really is an easy peasy weekday meal that the whole family will enjoy.
Little tip – this casserole would taste great with quinoa or even brown rice, but in true last minute.com style, I discovered that the packs I had in my cupboard were quite a few months out of date, so I had to substitute them for basmati rice.
Ingredients
- Six to eight gluten free chipolatas chopped into 2cm pieces (Marks and Spencer sell GF or Black Farmer chipolatas can be found at major supermarkets)
- Red onion
- Red, yellow or orange pepper
- 400g tin tomatoes
- Cannellini beans
- 1 and half teaspoon single soya cream
- 1 and a half chunks of dairy free dark chocolate such as Kinnerton or Celtic
- Chilli powder to taste (Start with 1 teaspoon and add more depending on personal taste)
- Splash of Heinz BBQ sauce
- Rice or quinoa
- Salt & pepper
- Teaspoon sugar
- Basil
- Marjoram
- Coriander
- Heat olive oil in the frying pan and caramelise the onion
- Boil salted water in a pan and cook the rice according to pack instructions
- Add the chopped up chipolatas and cook until golden
- Add the pepper and mix together well
- Pour in the cannellini beans and tin tomatoes and stir. Add a teaspoon sugar to sweeten the tomatoes
- Season with salt and pepper and add the chilli powder, a sprinkle of basil and marjoram
- Throw in the cube of chocolate and mix well
- Add a splash of BBQ sauce
- Pour in the soya cream and mix together well
- Season with more salt and pepper if needed and add further chilli powder depending on personal preferences
- Allow to stew for around 20 minutes until thickened nicely
- Serve alongside the rice and sprinkle coriander on top
Tummy Happy 