Tender chard and creamy butter beans bake beneath a crisp lemon-scented cheese crust.
Ingredients
- 500g Swiss chard
- 1 x 400g tin, drained and rinsed Butter beans
- 1 small, finely diced Onion
- 2 cloves, finely chopped Garlic
- 30g Butter
- 30g Plain flour
- 400ml Milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2, zest only Lemon
- 1/8 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 60g, grated Vegetarian mature cheddar
- 35g Breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp, for the dish Olive oil
- 1/2 tsp, plus to taste Fine salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and lightly oil a 1.5-litre baking dish. Wash the chard well. Separate the stems from the leaves, slice stems into 1cm pieces and roughly chop the leaves.
- Bring a pan of salted water to a simmer. Cook the stems for 3 minutes, add the leaves for 1 minute, then drain thoroughly and press out excess water with the back of a spoon.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then add flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4–5 minutes. Stir in mustard, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Fold the chard and butter beans through the sauce and spoon into the dish. Mix the cheddar and breadcrumbs together and scatter evenly over the top.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until bubbling at the edges and golden across the topping. Rest for 5 minutes so the sauce settles, then serve.
Allotment tip
Drain the chard especially well; excess water can thin the sauce and soften the crumb topping.