Creamy butterbeans with courgettes, lemon & feta

This dish is the perfect lazy dinner for a summer evening after a long day’s work, where you don’t want to spend long in the kitchen cooking. This fresh, nourishing bowl of creamy butterbeans topped with fried courgettes, feta, lemon and herbs is quick (around 20 minutes), comforting without being heavy, and absolutely made for mopping up with some thick, crusty bread – delicious!

Recipe: Serves four

Ingredients

• 2 large courgettes

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or finely chopped

• 1 shallot, finely diced

• 700g jar of butterbeans, including the liquid

• 200ml vegetable stock (preferably low salt)

• 50g feta

• 1 lemon, juiced and zested

• 1 red chilli, finely sliced

• 1tbsp fresh basil, chopped

• 1tbsp fresh mint, chopped

• Extra virgin olive oil for frying and serving

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Prepare the courgettes by slicing into thick chunks. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, then sauté the courgette chunks in batches. Cook until golden on both sides, adding a little more oil as needed. Set the courgettes aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

2. Using the same pan, add the diced shallot. Add another splash of olive oil if the pan looks dry, and cook for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the sliced garlic and chilli and fry for about one minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

3. Add the butterbeans along with their liquid (for the creamy consistency), followed by the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot and the mixture has thickened and become creamy.

4. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and stir through the chopped basil and mint.

5. Season generously with salt and black pepper, tasting and adjusting as needed.

6. Once cooked and ready to serve, finish with lemon zest, crumbled feta, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

7. Optional: this dish is especially good with crusty bread for mopping up the creamy beans and juices.