I eat lots of bean salads and they are my staple packed lunch for work. As any regular reader will know I am a huge fan of both beans and butternut squash, this recipe seemed the perfect dish for June’s No Croutons Required event hosted by Food and Spice and Tinned Tomatoes. Here I slowly roasted BNS with rosemary and mixed beans with finely chopped spring onions to give a flavour packed satisfying summer bean salad. Its best with the BNS served still warm.
Adzuki Beans
Black Eyed Beans
Borlotti Beans
Cannellini beans
Flageolet Beans
Haricot Beans
Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans
When making my lunch I simply put about 4oz (100g) of frozen beans into a tupperware pot and top with dressing and salads, the frozen beans will slowly defrost and keep my salad cool until it is time to eat it.
Mixed Bean and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad (for 2)
½ small butternut squash
Olive oil
Spring rosemary
8oz mixed beans (see above)
2 spring onions finely chopped
Handful baby spinach leaves
Handful rocket leaves
Cherry tomatoes
Alfalfa (or other seed) sprouts
Peel and chop the squash into ½ cubes, place in a roasting tray with a good glug of olive oil, a sprig of rosemary and plenty of pepper and salt. Give the tray a good shake to coat the squash and roast at GM5 for 20 to 30 mins until soft and turning golden.
Meanwhile add the spring onion to the beans and mix well.
Put the spinach and rocket into a salad bowl, add the beans and then arrange the still warm roasted BNS around the beans, top the salad with chopped cherry tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts.
I serve this with Tahini Dressing (make the dressing with the olive oil the BNS roasted in)
Remember to roast the squash seeds too for a tasty snack.
This sounds like my favourite sort of salad – pumpkin, tahini, spinach and beans are all the sorts of things I love! And am interested in your freezing beans for lunches – I think this is the sort of thing that would be a nice alternative to my soups I put in the freezer for work lunches
Packed full of goodness! Thanks for contributing to our event.
Johanna, do try the mixed bean pot in the freezer, it works really well for me, for a super speedy packed lunch add peas, sweetcorn and soya beans too, then with a handful of leaves and some dressing you are ready to go in 2 mins in the morning. It costs pence and is so good for you!
I saw your recipe from the round up. Sounds delicious.
Butternut squash is real favourite of mine too. I love your idea of freezing the tinned beans to make your own mix. That is a great idea! I’m trying to get better about making my own lunches to take to work, so thank you for the tip!
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[...] Roasted Butternut squash salad, mixed beans and baby spinach & citrus dressing. Pudding: Oatcakes, cheese and [...]