The easiest way to turn a tin of beans into dinner – just add pesto

This flavour-packed recipe from chef Natalia Rudin uses pesto, butter beans and roasted tomatoes for a quick, comforting dish that feels far fancier than it is

Proof that a tin of beans and a spoonful of pesto can make a seriously good dinner (Issy Croker)

“Pesto is, again, one of those players that gives you a lot of flavour for very little work,” says chef Natalia Rudin. “It’s so easy to dollop into a pasta, risotto or sandwich to take it to the next level. I always prefer to make my own and lots of it, to store in the freezer for whenever you need an easy win in the kitchen.”

Pesto beans with roasted tomatoes

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

150g cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra as needed

400g asparagus

½ shallot, diced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2 x 400g tins butter beans

¼ vegetable stock cube

3 tbsp pesto (shop-bought or homemade)

Juice of ½ lemon

Handful of fresh mint and basil leaves

1 tbsp pine nuts

1 red chilli, deseeded and diced or sliced

Method:

‘Cooking Fast and Slow’ is packed with plant-based recipes that work whether you’ve got 15 minutes or a whole afternoon (Penguin Life)

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5.

2. Lay the cherry tomatoes on a roasting tray, cover in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and roast for 15–20 minutes until just bursting.

3. Slice the stalks of the asparagus into 1cm rounds and halve the tips. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan and fry the rounds over a medium heat for a minute, then add the tips and fry for another minute or so until they have softened. Remove from the pan.

4. Add a little more oil to the pan if it needs it and fry the shallot for 5 minutes until just browning, then add the garlic and fry for another minute. Pour in the beans and their liquid, along with the stock cube. Stir well. Let it simmer and thicken up for 5–10 minutes.

5. Return the asparagus to the pan, swirl through the pesto and squeeze in the lemon juice. Scatter over the fresh mint, basil, pine nuts and chilli and top with the roasted tomatoes.

Recipe from ‘Cooking Fast and Slow’ by Natalia Rudin (Penguin Life, £25).