Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Beans

These creamy roasted red pepper beans are the perfect recipe to enjoy with a batch of homemade naan! The creamy sauce is made of roasted peppers (either roasted yourself or jarred) along with tofu and cashews for extra creaminess. It’s dairy-free and can also be made oil-free. Serve with lots of fresh basil and homemade naan (recipe here) and enjoy!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15-40 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 3 large or 4 medium red bell peppers (roasted or fresh, see notes)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil (see notes for oil-free)
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 8 cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 1 cup cooked butter beans
• 150g extra-firm tofu
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp water
• Fresh basil leaves

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet
• Non-stick frying pan
• Blender

Instructions

1. If using fresh peppers, preheat oven to 350F. Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the insides and seeds. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then add the pepper halves and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil onto the peppers. Roast the peppers for 35-40 minutes, until softened. After about 15-20 minutes, start preparing the rest of the dish.
2. Dice an onion and fry in a non-stick pan on medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil, stirring occasionally.
3. Peel and mince garlic, then add to the pan with the onion. Continue stirring.
4. Chop mushrooms, then add to the pan with the onions and garlic and stir.
5. Drain and rinse the lentils and butter beans. Once the mushrooms have cooked down, add the lentils and beans to the pan and stir. Reduce heat to low while you blend the red pepper sauce.
6. If you’re roasting fresh peppers, once they’re roasted, remove from the oven and let them cool before handling them. Once the peppers have slightly cooled, peel off the skins. If you’re having trouble, you can try soaking them in cold water for a few minutes then removing the skin.
7. To a blender, add roasted peppers, tofu, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and water. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy, adding 1-2 tbsp more of water if needed.
8. Add the creamy roasted red pepper sauce to the pan with the lentils and beans and stir. Bring the heat back up to medium, then remove from heat after a few minutes.
9. Serve with fresh basil and enjoy with homemade naan or toasted bread.

Notes

*You can use fresh red peppers and roast them in the oven or buy pre-roasted jarred red peppers.

*For an oil-free version, omit olive oil when roasting the peppers, and sauté the onion and garlic in a few tbsp of water or vegetable stock.

*I love serving this dish with a batch of homemade naan.