I haven’t done any research on this, but I’m pretty confident saying that in this economy, budget meals are very much in. So I’m here to offer a little tip, a little dish I’ve been doing lately. It involves very little work, a little bit of carbs, a little bit of protein, and a little bit of greens (aka a handful of fresh herbs, but it all counts). Very balanced, as you can see, so next time you want to cut some grocery costs, make this (very filling) dinner and save some money!

I don’t usually advocate for canned foods. I’m more of a fresh ingredients kind of gal, and yes, I’ll happily cook beans for hours and make anything from scratch. It brings me joy! But I’ll be honest, when it’s a week night and I’m tired, I will buy that can of beans and I won’t feel bad about it. 

This beans concoction is actually one that was born out of an evening when I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired, but was looking for something nourishing – which in my books, usually means carbs. Think of it as a simpler baked beans.

I’ve made different iterations ever since, and the great news is that you don’t need a recipe for this. It’s pretty fool proof and there’s plenty of room for creativity. You can add bacon, fennel, a plethora of different ingredients to the base and it’ll inevitably turn out good.

A loose, easily customizable recipe

I’ll add a loose recipe below, but basically, for 2 people you’ll need a 540 ml can of beans of your preference. My favorites are pinto, black eyed, and navy beans. Preheat the oven to 400F. Sear a few chicken thighs over medium heat in an ovenproof skillet. Cook until golden brown and set aside. In the same skillet, saute some garlic and onions in the rendered chicken fat, then add the beans (make sure you throughly rinse them), and cook for a couple minutes, stirring regularly. 

Then add some chicken broth. Add more than you think you’ll need because it’ll cook down considerably. Keep an eye as it bakes and add more as needed. Then add the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin side up and pop in the oven for about 40 minutes.

In the meantime, make the greens! Use any fresh herbs you have, I usually do parsley and cilantro. Add them to a blender, two handfuls of each, then add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding more olive oil and lemon juice as needed for a pouring consistency. When the beans are done, pour the green sauce over it and dig in!