Jamaican Black Bean Stew

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 225g Dried Black beans, soaked overnight
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 medium green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 1 medium yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable (rapeseed) oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 425ml of vegetable stock (using 1 stock cube)
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Ingredients continued

• 225g tin of plum tomatoes
• Pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 450g butternut squash or pumpkin
• 30g of butter
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 55g of soft, dark brown sugar

Utensils

• Chopping board
• Garlic crusher
• Grater
• Kitchen scales
• Knife
• Large saucepan
• Measuring jug
• Non-stick frying pan
• Vegetable peeler
• Wooden spoon

Instructions

Method

1. Rinse and drain the black beans that have been soaking overnight and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil, add the onion and fry on a low heat until golden brown in colour.
3. Stir in the peppers and cook until starting to soften.
4. Add the garlic, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and paprika and stir for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and stir well.
6. Add the tomatoes, chilli flakes and thyme then stir in the beans and season with pepper.
7. Simmer for around 1 hour until the beans are tender.
8. Meanwhile, peel the butternut squash or pumpkin, slice in half and remove the seeds and fibres using a teaspoon. Cut roughly into 2cm cubes.
9. Heat the butter in the frying pan, add the squash and fry until it starts to brown. Add the sugar and gently stir until the sugar has melted.
10. Spoon the squash into the large pot with the beans.
11. Spoon a little liquid from the bean pot into the frying pan and stir to remove the sticky sediment and add it to the bean pot.
12. Simmer for a further 20 minutes until the squash is cooked, the beans are tender and the liquid has thickened.
13. Before serving, remember to remove the sprigs of thyme.

Nutrition per serving portion (serves 4)

Each portion provides on average

• Energy

  1347kj 322kcal 16.1%

• Fat

  14.02g 20%

• Saturates

  4.55g 23%

• Carbohydrates

  44.9g 45%

• Sugars

  28.6g 32%

• Salt

  0.82g 14%

• Protein

  8.75g Low

• Fibre

  6.12g High

Protein and Fibre

Black beans are a good source of protein and are high in fibre, helping to keep us feeling fuller for longer and our digestive systems healthy.

Nutrient Dense

Black beans are rich in important minerals such as iron, potassium and magnesium.