Name: Easy Butter Beans With Tomato and Marjoram
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 400 g (14 oz.) dried butter (lima) beans, soaked overnight (or 2 x 14 oz. cans, rinsed and drained); 2 Tbsp. neutral oil; 1 onion, roughly chopped; 6 slices lean bacon, chopped; 1 Tbsp. dried marjoram; 1 tsp. paprika; 1 400 g (14 oz.) can chopped tomatoes; Salt and white and black pepper, to taste

Butter beans on a plate with tomato and marjoram broth.

Photo by Laura Edwards

Beans are the kind of wholesome fare that are good for the soul and the digestive system. Fasolka po bretońsku, as these beans are called in Polish, are earthy and full of flavor, delicious eaten with fresh, crusty bread and nothing else. The type of large white beans we traditionally use for this recipe are difficult to come by in many countries, but butter beans are similar and work very well indeed. If you have time, use dried beans and soak them in cold water overnight; otherwise if you want to prepare a quick supper, the ones out of a can work just fine.

Recipe notes

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Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

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