Simple Brothy Butter Beans

This recipe results in a beautifully simple bowl of butter-bean broth. You can use tinned beans at a pinch, but I find the jarred kind so much tastier. As they are the key ingredient here, and this is generally a very frugal dish, I think it's well worth paying a bit more for them.

Once you've mastered this recipe, you can change the beans to chickpeas, cannellini beans, haricot beans or a mix, if you prefer. You could also swirl a tablespoon of warming harissa paste, vegan 'Nduja or herby homemade pesto into the broth for an extra hit of flavour, or add little pasta shapes to make a more substantial meal.

Top the finished dish with fresh soft herbs of your choice, a grating of hard cheese or my vegan parm, and serve with a good amount of crusty bread on the side, to mop up all those delicious juices.

However you finish it off, this recipe is satisfying, deeply comforting, and incredibly tasty.