Butter Bean & Leek Gratin with Dill

Ingredients

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

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Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Rinse the beans well; it washes off a third of their sodium. Soften the sliced leeks in half the oil over medium heat 8 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute.
2. Tip the beans into a 9 by 13 inch (23 by 33 cm) 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 through and spoon the ricotta over in rough lumps. Scatter the breadcrumbs and mozzarella on, trickle the rest of the oil over and bake 10 minutes more in the hot oven, until the top is crisp and golden.
5. Finish with the lemon squeezed over, the dill and the pepper; added at the table, the acid lifts the whole dish.