During busy college times, it is difficult to cook elaborate meals for yourself. A lot of students resort to ready-made meals from the supermarket or takeaway. Either way, not managing your meals effectively comes at a cost to your health or bank account. I know that there are times when I am guilty of both. This Baked Beans and Feta Eggs recipe is something I make when I am not feeling particularly inspired but do not want to resort to processed food. It takes under 20 minutes to make and the baked beans can be kept in the fridge for a few days. I find cooking in batches incredibly helpful and most importantly time-saving.
I know I am not exactly the first person to rave about meal prepping. However, I think a lot of people are under the impression that meal prepping has to be incredibly complicated and time-intensive. Making a triple portion of a meal that takes 15 minutes to prepare is meal prepping too. Not everyone can be Nara Smith — I know I am not.
Cooking is something that is often passed down through generations and can seem inaccessible for those it was not taught to. Easy recipes like these can hopefully be a gateway for those with a low natural affinity for cooking. I find that when I have a couple of portions of baked beans in my fridge, life just feels a little more manageable.
Baked beans
Baked beans are a great side or main. You can have them with toast for breakfast. Unlike those from the tin, these have no added sugars or sweeteners and are customisable in their flavour depending on which spices you use.
1. Toast your spices in a pan with some oil. I use smoked paprika, chilli powder, cumin and a dash of cinnamon. Stir until the mixture starts to foam
2. Finely dice an onion and a clove of garlic. Add both to the pan and stir until golden (at this stage, you could add other vegetables if you wanted)
3. Add tomato purée and stir for a couple of minutes (obviously, the more you add, the more intense the tomato taste is. I usually add a quarter of a tube)
4. Add a tin of butter beans (including the water! The starch in this enables the creamy consistency of the sauce) and cook for 5 minutes (or longer if you want it to be thicker)
Feta eggs
This technique makes fried eggs much more exciting and flavourful. It is very easy to make as it only requires one additional ingredient to the eggs themselves. The eggs will be left with a lovely feta crust.
1. Crumble some feta into a pan on heat
2. Crack the eggs into the pan and fry to your liking
3. Season! But go easy on the salt, as the feta is already packed with it
Here, I served the Baked Beans with the Feta Eggs and added some grated Parmesan cheese and Zucchini.
