Creamy white beans with tahini, oregano and cumin
This rich and creamy dish is packed full of nutrition and delivers a luxurious eating experience without the heaviness and saturated fat of double cream. The tahini paste is a protein and calcium rich ingredient that creates an indulgent texture and carries the herb and spice flavour wonderfully – so do use the best quality tahini you can afford (see recipe tips). Beautiful with butter beans but haricot beans, chickpeas and cannellini would work just as well.
Each serving provides 542 kcal, 19.6g protein, 40.7g carbohydrate (of which 5.8g sugars), 29.9g fat (of which 4.4g saturates), 15.3g fibre and 0.43g salt.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbsp light tahini
- 400g tin white beans, such as butter beans or haricot beans, drained
- 50g/1¾oz fresh parsley, finely chopped, leaves and stems separated
- 1 tsp fresh black pepper 
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
- 2 large slices sourdough bread, toasted, to serve
Method
Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1–2 minutes to infuse the flavours.
Stir in the tahini and 50ml/2fl oz hot water. Add a splash more hot water if needed.
Add the beans and parsley stems and leaves, reserving some leaves for garnish. Cook for a few minutes to warm through the beans.
Finish with black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with toasted sourdough bread.
Recipe Tips
If you want to make this dish more substantial, try pairing it with poached or pan-fried fish.
Tahini comes in two main types light (AKA white or hulled) and brown. Brown tahini is darker in colour and has a more bitter taste. Light tahini is best for this recipe and is now widely available. However, there is a big difference in quality, with some cheaper varieties being really quite bitter. The best tahini is creamy and nutty.
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