Baked beans are quintessentially British, but beans exist in just about every culture's diet in some form. To call this recipe baked beans is possibly wrong, as they are not actually baked. However they taste so much like the tinned version of British baked beans that I had no choice!

I am always looking for alternative carbohydrates. I have nothing against wheat or potatoes but I think we eat too much of them, and I try to look for a balance when feeding me and my family. Beans are a good replacement as they are not only a good source of carbohydrate, but are also high in dietary fibre, they make you fell fuller for longer, they have a good level of protein and iron, both being important for children growing good bones and giving good sustained energy. They are also high in vitamin B1 which is being shown to be effective in studies to do with promoting memory. So beans may actually make you smarter! The skin of beans has also been shown recently to contain anti oxidants which protect the cells in our bodies. This is just the tip of the ice berg as to why beans should be something that all kids grow to eat and love.

This recipe I like, because while commercially bought baked beans are healthy, they are often high in sugar and salt, the sweetness in this recipe comes naturally from the vegetables and kids don't notice.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• ½ yellow onion
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 medium carrot
  
• ¼ red pepper
  
• ¼ yellow pepper
  
• 1 small leek finely
  
• ½ small zucchini
  
• 1 large tomato
  
• a handful of green beans
  
• 2 cups water or broth (chicken or vegetable)
  
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
  
• 2 cup of pinto beans (approx 16 oz jar or 2 8oz cans)
  
• a large handful chopped spinach (optional)
  
• parsley
  
  Method
  1. finely chop or grate all the vegetables
     
  2. heat the olive oil in a pan, when heated add the onion, garlic, carrot, pepper and leek and sauté until the onion is translucent
     
  3. add the broth and bring to the boil
     
  4. add the zuccini, tomato and beans
     
  5. cook covered until all vegetables are soft (approx 10 minutes) – you may need to add a little extra water if the water evaporates
     
  6. purée the vegetables in a liquidiser or transfer to a high sided bowl and blend with a stab blender
     
  7. rinse the beans until the water runs clear and is no longer foamy, and add the beans and the tomato paste to the vegetable mix
     
  8. add chopped spinach and parsley for added colour
     
     Tips
     • I chop my vegetables with a mandolin, it is faster and they come out a uniform size, but a grater is fine for those that can be grated, or chop them with a knife. The larger the size of the pieces will add a little to the cooking time.
       
     • If you are using a mandolin or a grater you can chop your vegetables as the others are cooking, add onions and garlic, then do the others in the order given in the recipe you can almost add them as you have chopped each one – leave a small gap after you have added the water (or stock) to let it come back to the boil
       
     • we serve this as a side dish with sausages, bbq, rice or even on a baked potato
       
     • it has a lot of nutrients, and is quite rich and filling therefore your portion sizes don't need to be very big