Red Bean Ragu with Ricotta and Parmesan (VO) from Bold Beans

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“Everyone has had one of those days when you just crave hearty comfort food. This rich ragu, loaded with cheese, is made with many ingredients you may already have in the back of your cupboard. We like to make a batch of this ragu and keep it in the fridge all week to feast on. Bubble it up with some good-quality stock and turn it into a soup, or load it on to some sourdough toast. It’s a friend that’s best paired with a glass of red wine. We love the contrasting flavours and textures when serving it with a fresh, creamy cheese.” Amelia Christie-Miller, author of Bold Beans

5 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve

2 carrots, finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

500g (1lb 2oz) mushrooms, finely chopped

2 bay leaves (fresh or dried) (optional)

2 small onions or 3 banana shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs or oregano (or freshly chopped herbs: rosemary, thyme and parsley)

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

300ml (10fl oz) red wine or red vermouth

700g (1lb 9oz) jar red beans with their bean stock, or 2 × 400g (14oz) cans red kidney beans, drained, with 200ml

(7fl oz) veg stock

400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

1 chicken or veggie stock cube

250g (9oz) ricotta (or torn mozzarella, goat’s curd, burrata or queso fresco)

500g (1lb 2oz) long pasta

100g (3½oz) Parmesan (or Pecorino, Grana Padano or veggie alternative) grated

Small bunch of basil (about 15g/½oz), optional

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over a medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, bay leaves and onions, along with ½ teaspoon salt. Give the mixture a good stir so that the veggies are coated, then sweat for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are beginning to soften and have shrunk significantly. It may seem like a lot of oil, but when creating a meat-free ragu, you need to bring in the fat from elsewhere, so don’t be afraid of this!

Add the garlic, herbs, and chilli flakes. Increase the heat to medium–high and cook for 1 minute. If there is still some liquid in the pan from the mushrooms, cook for a little longer until this is reduced and some of the base begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Pour in the red wine or vermouth, deglazing any veg that had begun to caramelise at the bottom of the pan. Allow the alcohol to cook off for 5–8 minutes, then reduce the heat to low simmer and add the red beans with their bean or veg stock, breaking them up in your hands as you go to allow some to thicken the sauce. If using unsalted canned beans, make sure to add a good pinch of salt here.

Tip in the chopped tomatoes and mix through. At this point, add the stock cube, breaking it up with your fingers and letting it dissolve in the liquid of the stew. Bubble for 20 minutes for jarred beans, or 26–28 minutes for canned, adding a splash of water if it becomes too dry.

While you’re waiting for the ragu to thicken, spoon the ricotta into a bowl. Lightly mash using a fork, and season with a pinch of salt. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions (but make sure your water is salty!). Once cooked, drain, then drizzle with some olive oil. Using tongs, tumble the pasta on to 6 plates. Spoon over the ragu and dollop the ricotta on top. Finish with a generous grating of Parmesan and torn basil leaves (if using).