Sweet Potato with Homemade Baked Beans on Parmesan Polenta
A healthy mid-week meal that’s hearty and easy to prepare.
If you’re feeling like a break from meat but are after something hearty and filling – this recipe for roasted sweet potato with homemade baked beans on parmesan polenta is the perfect mid-week meal.
As soon as you get home, preheat your oven to 200°, and start your dinner prep. Within an hour and half you’ll have a delicious homemade meal. Double the homemade baked bean recipe and you’ll have some left over for breakfast the next morning.
Enjoy! Xx
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Homemade Baked Beans on Parmesan Polenta
Serves two
For the Baked Beans
1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
100ml sweet tomato passata (I use Divella)
Whites/heads of two spring onions, finely sliced (slice the green ends and leave them aside for garnishing)
1 heaped tsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 capful of apple cider vinegar
Oil for frying (I use olive oil)
Salt and pepper
2 medium sized sweet potatoes, washed & brushed
For the Parmesan Polenta
1/4 cup polenta
Parmesan cheese, grated
250ml veggie or chicken stock (preferably homemade)
To Garnish/Optional
A palmful of fresh coriander leaves or spring onion tops (green ends)
4 cherry tomatoes, diced
A squeeze of fresh lime
Preheat your oven to 200°, in the meantime wash and brush two medium sized sweet potatoes. If you’d like left over sweet potato for lunch the next day, add one or two more washed and brushed sweet potatoes to the oven tray for roasting, and double the baked bean quantity
Dry the sweet potatoes thoroughly and prick them all over with a fork and set aside on an oven tray lined with baking paper until the oven has pre-heated
In a deep frying pan or medium sized saucepan on medium to high heat, add 1.5 tbsp of olive oil
Once heated, add the spring onions and garlic, and fry them until they become golden brown
Add in the cannellini beans and lightly sauté with the spring onions and garlic for a minute or so
Add the passata, two generous pinches of salt, a few good shakes of cracked pepper, and bring to the boil.
In the meantime, continue to keep an eye on the oven, once it’s preheated, place the tray with the sweet potatoes inside and roast for 45 – 50 minutes
Once the homemade baked beans begin boiling, bring the heat down to medium and allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes
After 10 to 15 minutes, taste the homemade baked beans and adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Give it a final mix through before taking it off the heat
Check on the sweet potatoes, if a skewer goes through easily it’s time to take them out, if not continue roasting for a little longer
Now for the final part of the meal – the parmesan polenta. In a medium sized saucepan bring one cup of the stock to boil (set aside 1/4 cup of extra stock). Once the stock has boiled, lower the heat slightly and pour in the polenta – stir thoroughly and constantly with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes or so until the polenta mixture thickens
If the polenta appears granule-y, add in a small amount of the left over stock bit-by-bit until the polenta becomes smooth. It is important to add in the extra stock slowly to avoid making the polenta too watery, ideally you want a thickish but smooth consistency
Once the polenta has cooked, turn off the heat and placing the saucepan aside add about 3 tbsp of the grated parmesan, stirring well. Taste the polenta and add more parmesan if it’s to your liking (I add a lot!). Stir well and once you’re happy with the level of cheesy-ness, scoop a ladle or so onto each serving plate
Now ready, place the roasted sweet potato on top of the polenta and cut it in half lengthways, as you would say a long roll or hot dog bun – don’t cut through the whole way. Fill the sweet potato with a ladle full of the baked beans
Top the sweet potato and beans with coriander and if you like, diced tomatoes and spring onion tops (green ends), as well as a little squeeze of lime
This meal is lovely on its own, as well as with some light greens like grilled asparagus or broccoli. Some lovely additions to the baked beans are avocado and diced cucumber which bulk up the meal whilst also adding flavour. Yum!
