A hearty and warming vegetarian meal for the family – guaranteed to cheer you up when the weather can’t
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes, about 500g (1lb), peeled and cubed
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
- 100g (3½oz) green beans, chopped
- 420g can butter beans, rinsed and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To serve:
- 1 small ciabatta, sliced into 12
- About 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 60g (2oz)
Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the celery and sweet potato and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, cook for another few minutes, then stir in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the green beans, cook for another 5 minutes, then stir in the butter beans and simmer for 5 minutes until heated through. Squash some of the beans and potato in the pan to thicken the juices. Check for seasoning and that the potato is just tender.
Meanwhile, toast ciabatta on one side, turn slices over, put thyme leaves and grated cheese on top and grill until brown. Serve the toasts on the hotpot.
Top tip for making Bean hotpot with cheesy croutons
If you want the green beansto retain their bright colour,blanch them separately ina pan of boiling water for2 minutes, drain, and rinseunder cold running water.Add to the hotpot for the last couple of minutes of cooking.
