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Tomato butter beans with toast with chilli oil
youryum.com/recipes/tomato-butter-beans-with-toast-with-chilli-oil · serves 4

A mild tomato base with heat on top

The beans stay mellow while a spoonful of fragrant chilli oil gives each plate its own level of heat.

  • Vegetarian
  • high-fiber
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 23 August 2026
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Tomato butter beans with sourdough toast and sesame chilli oil
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Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Per serving
506kcal
Effort
Easy

I keep the chilli out of the bean pan and put it in the oil instead. The tomato sauce stays round and savoury, while the flakes keep their toasted smell because they are only steeped, not simmered for half an hour.

Make the finish first; the final texture depends on it staying distinct.

Make the oil first and leave it on the counter. By the time the beans are thick, the garlic has softened into the oil and the flakes have coloured it red. Start with half a teaspoon per bowl; you can always add more.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Tomato beans

Toast

Chilli oil

Equipment

  • Wide saucepan
  • Small frying pan
  • Toaster or grill

Method

  1. Start the tomato base

    Warm the olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, then cook for six to eight minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic for one minute. Add the tomato paste and paprika and fry for 45 seconds, stirring constantly. It should darken slightly and smell sweet rather than raw.

    Let the sauce settle before you taste and adjust the salt.

  2. Simmer the beans

    Add the chopped tomatoes, butter beans and stock. Bring to a steady simmer, then cook uncovered for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The sauce should coat the beans and leave a slow trail when you drag the spoon across the pan. If it is still watery, give it another five minutes before seasoning.

    Do not let the pan boil hard. Butter beans have thin skins, and a rough bubble breaks them against the base of the saucepan. A quiet simmer leaves some whole and lets the sauce thicken around them. Stir from the outside towards the middle, where the heat is strongest, and scrape the tomato paste off the bottom before it catches.

    Hands stirring tomato beans in a wide saucepan before finishing

  3. Toast the bread

    While the beans simmer, toast the sourdough until the cut sides are deeply golden. Brush with olive oil while hot. Do not rush this part: pale bread goes soft as soon as the sauce touches it, while a proper crust stays crisp long enough for the first few bites.

    The bread should crackle before the sauce touches it, then soften slowly.

  4. Finish with the special topping

    Put the chilli flakes, sesame seeds and grated garlic in a heatproof bowl. Warm the neutral oil until it shimmers, pour it over, and stir. Leave it for at least ten minutes. The garlic should smell sweet and toasted, never dark or bitter.

  5. Serve while the textures are clear

    Spoon the tomato beans into warm bowls or onto a wide platter. Add the toast at the side and finish with the prepared topping described above. Serve straight away. The sauce should be thick enough to hold a bean on the toast without running across the plate.

Butter beans tomatoes toast and sesame chilli oil arranged for cooking
Set out the beans, tomatoes, bread and finishing ingredients before the pan gets hot.

Why the sesame chilli oil belongs at the end

Chilli oil is a better table condiment here than dried chilli added to the tomato paste. Paste can scorch while it fries, and the heat spreads through the whole batch before anyone has tasted it. The oil gives you a choice at the table and keeps the main sauce gentle enough for children.

Use mild flakes if you want aroma, or hot flakes if you know your crowd. Oil carries capsaicin efficiently, so a small spoonful can be much hotter than it looks.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 506 kcal
Protein 20 g
Carbohydrate 71 g
Fibre 15 g
Fat 16 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use chilli crisp?
Yes. Use it as the table finish and leave out the homemade chilli oil. One teaspoon per serving is a good starting point.
Can I make the oil ahead?
Make it up to one week ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
How do I make the dish mild?
Use sweet paprika in the beans and put the chilli oil on the table. People who want it can add their own.

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