Butter Bean & Leek Gratin with Dill

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups (560 g) canned butter beans
• 1 1/2 cups (360 g) low-fat ricotta
• 4 cups (400 g) leeks
• 6 garlic cloves (18 g)
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
• 1/2 cup (15 g) chopped fresh dill
• 6 tbsp (30 g) whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup (60 g) mozzarella
• 4 cups (120 g) baby spinach
• 2 lemons (90 ml)
• 1/2 tsp (1.2 g) black pepper

Tap an ingredient to tick it off. Doubling changes the amounts, not the nutrition panel — that stays per serving.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Rinse the beans well — it is worth a minute, it washes off a third of their sodium — and soften the sliced leeks in half the oil 8 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute.
2. Tip the beans into a 9 by 13 inch dish with the leeks, crush a quarter of them against the side with a fork and turn everything through.
3. Pour in a splash of water and bake 20 minutes, until the edges catch.
4. Fold the spinach and dill through, spoon the ricotta over in rough lumps, scatter the breadcrumbs and mozzarella on with the rest of the oil, and bake 10 minutes more, until the top is crisp and brown.
5. Finish off the heat with the lemon squeezed over and the pepper: acid poured in before the oven cooks away, added at the table it lifts the whole dish.