Mean Green Bean Bowl

This mean green bean bowl from Soph’s Plant Kitchen: 30 in 30 turns butter beans into a colorful, high-protein meal with plenty of greens. The beans sit in a bright spinach and miso sauce, while roasted cherry tomatoes add sweetness. A thick tofu “cream cheese” goes on top and adds even more plant protein.

The recipe packs 36 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber into each serving. Shallots cook until caramelized before the butter beans join the pan. Spinach, roasted garlic, miso, and optional basil blend into the green sauce. The tomatoes roast separately until their skins burst, giving the finished bowl juicy pockets of tomato among the creamy beans.

Read more: High-Protein Sweet Potato Salad Jar With Tofu ‘Cheese’

Serve this mean green bean bowl with toasted sourdough for scooping, or add rice, quinoa, or another grain for a bigger meal. Finish it with black pepper, chili flakes, or toasted seeds. It makes a quick lunch or dinner and keeps in the fridge for up to three days, so you can also make it ahead.

Republished with permission from Soph’s Plant Kitchen 30 in 30: 30g of protein, 30 minutes or less (Yellow Kite: £25). Photo credits: Haarala Hamilton

Mean green bean bowl method

This vegan butter bean bowl combines a green spinach-miso sauce, roasted tomatoes, and creamy tofu topping. It is a protein-rich lunch or dinner that pairs easily with sourdough or grains.

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Duration30 minutes mins

Servings3

Ingredients

• 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves skin on
• Extra virgin olive oil for roasting and frying
• 1 large or 2 small shallots finely chopped
• 700 g canned or jarred butter beans drained and rinsed
• ½–1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder or vegetable stock cube
• 400 g spinach
• 15 g fresh basil optional
• 1½ tbsp sweet white miso plus more to taste
• Sea salt

For the tofu ‘cream cheese’

• 200 g firm tofu
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1½ tbsp white miso paste
• 3–4 tbsp soy milk or water depending on the power of your blender
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

To serve

• Chili flakes or toasted seeds optional
• Toasted sourdough or your grain of choice
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C/gas mark 6½.
• First, roast the cherry tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and whole garlic cloves to a baking dish with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the tomato skins start to burst and wrinkle.
• Meanwhile, make the beans. Fry the shallots in olive oil on a low-medium heat with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes until caramelizing (this makes the final dish taste sweet). Add the beans, 100ml water and the stock, starting with ½ teaspoon or stock cube and adding more to taste. (You can also use the liquid from the bean cans/jar if you prefer.) Mix well and bubble on a low heat while you prep the tofu cream cheese.
• To make the tofu cream cheese, squeeze the tofu in kitchen paper to draw out any excess water. Add to a blender with all the remaining ingredients and blend until you have a thick, paste-like consistency. You may need to pause the blending and use a spatula to scrape the mixture down the sides. Season to taste.
• Add the spinach and basil (if using) to a colander in the sink. Quick blanch them by pouring over a kettle of boiled water, then rinse under running water from the cold tap. Transfer to a blender with 100ml water, the roasted garlic (squeeze it out of the skins first) and the miso paste. Add more water to help it blend if you need to.
• To finish the dish, add the green sauce to the beans, combine and top with the tofu cream cheese, the roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, plus some chili flakes or toasted seeds, if you like. Serve with sourdough, or your grain of choice and black pepper.

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