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Hearty winter food – beans on toast!

Who likes baked beans? Not I! I remember being offered baked beans on a camping trip (I couldn’t have been more than 5 years old) and rejecting them outright. My position hasn’t changed. Give me tinned spaghetti any day, but never baked beans!

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Full of artificial flavours and preservatives.

But this! This is what baked beans were meant to be… After all, chorizo makes everything better – right?! The comforting texture of soft beans bathed in a thick, slightly sweet tomato sauce, with the occasional morsel of sausage and the crunch of capsicum… the balance is just right.

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A quick meal, tasty and good for you!

Made with a few pantry staples and a couple of vegetables, it’s a snap. And whether you serve it as a quick snack on toast, or a more substantial meal on rice, this is a great one for a quick meal on the cheap.

Freeze portions in the freezer for weeknights when you get home late from work {or the baby hasn’t slept all afternoon}, and dinner’s a done deal.

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A bowl full of goodness.

Smoky Beans with Chorizo

Adapted from the Women’s Weekly ‘Speedy Cooking in 20 minutes or less’

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 large red onion (300g), chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic (optional), smashed, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 chorizo (170g), chopped coarsely
1 large red (or green) capsicum (bell pepper) (350g) chopped coarsely
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
800g (1 ½ pounds) canned borlotti beans, rinsed, drained
800g (1 ½ pounds) canned crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method
Heat oiled large saucepan, cook onion, chorizo and capsicum stirring, until vegetables are tender. Add paprika, cook stirring until fragrant.

Add beans and undrained tomatoes to pan with golden syrup and soy sauce, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Serve sprinkled with parsley, on toast or over steamed white rice.

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