Creamy Butter Bean & Quinoa Risotto with Roast Kale
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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
A creamy, protein packed risotto made with Peruvian wonder grain quinoa. Blitzed butter beans add rich, silky texture, topped with mushrooms and roast kale for oomph.
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494 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 150g quinoa
  • 400g tin of butter beans
  • 1 onion
  • 400g chestnut mushrooms
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 100g kale
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • A handful of flat leaf parsley
From your kitchen
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 300ml boiling water
You'll need
  • 2 medium pans with lids
  • Hand-held blender (optional)
  • Measuring jug
  • Baking tray
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Tip the quinoa into a sieve and rinse with cold water. Shake off the excess water and set the quinoa to one side to dry a little.

  • 2.

    Tip the butter beans and their liquid into a pan. Pop on a lid and set over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then gently cook for 5 mins to warm the beans through.

  • 3.

    While the butter beans simmer, peel and finely chop the onion. Thickly slice the mushrooms. Peel and grate or crush the garlic.

  • 4.

    Set a medium pan on a medium heat. Add 1/4 tbsp olive oil, the onion and mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 5 mins, stirring every so often, till the onion begins to soften and brown.

  • 5.

    While the veg fry, take the butter beans off the heat and use a hand blender to whizz them into a thick purée. No hand-held blender? You can tip the beans and liquid into a blender or processor and blitz. Or drain the beans into a bowl, keeping the liquid in the pan, and crush with a masher or fork, then stir in the liquid till smooth.

  • 6.

    Stir the garlic and quinoa into the mushroom and onion. Cook and stir for 2 mins, till the pan smells sweet. Crumble in the stock cube and add 300ml boiling water. Cover, bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 12 mins till the quinoa is tender.

  • 7.

    While the quinoa cooks, slice the soft kale leaves off their cores and roughly chop the leaves. Pop them in a bowl with 2 tbsp tahini, 1/4 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn to coat the kale in the tahini and oil. Spread out on a baking tray and slide into the oven for 5-8 mins till crisp and charred at the edges.

  • 8.

    Stir the butter bean purée into the quinoa and simmer for 2-3 mins to warm everything through.

  • 9.

    Taste the quinoa risotto and add a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Roughly chop the parsley and fold through. Spoon the risotto into warm bowls and top with the kale to serve.

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