Recipe
Miso Mushroom & Butter Bean Brunch Bowls
Browned mushrooms, butter beans and spinach in a light miso sauce, served with crisp hash browns. A savoury meat-free brunch bowl finished with lemon and chives for balance and freshness.
Ingredients
Method
10 mins prep25 mins cook35 mins total
Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7, or follow the hash brown packet temperature. Bake the frozen hash browns for the stated time, usually 20–25 minutes, turning halfway, until hot and crisp.
Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Spread out the sliced mushrooms and leave for 3 minutes before stirring. Cook for another 3–4 minutes, until browned and any released water has evaporated. Work in batches if the pan is small.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and butter and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Stir the miso into the measured water until dispersed. Pour into the pan, add the drained butter beans and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Crush a spoonful of beans against the pan to thicken the sauce if necessary.
Fold in the spinach a handful at a time and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted. Stir in the lemon juice and black pepper. Taste before adjusting the seasoning because miso already adds salt.
Spoon into two shallow bowls. Place two hash browns at the side of each portion, keeping them mostly clear of the sauce, and scatter over the chives.
Notes
Choose the miso: White miso has a gentler flavour than many red varieties. If using red miso, start with 2 tsp and taste before adding more.
Vegan variation: Replace the butter with 1 extra tbsp olive oil and check that the miso and hash browns are suitable for vegans.
Leftovers: Refrigerate the bean mixture separately for up to two days and reheat until piping hot, adding a little water if it thickens. Cook fresh hash browns for the best texture.
Allergens: Contains milk and usually soya. Miso and hash browns may also contain cereals containing gluten; check their labels.
About this recipe
Chestnut mushrooms and butter beans make a substantial base for this savoury brunch. Let the mushrooms brown before adding the onion, then use white miso and a little water to build a light sauce. Crushing a few beans helps it cling to the vegetables without needing cream or a flour-based thickener.
The spinach goes in near the end so it wilts without losing all its texture. Lemon juice brightens the miso, while chives add a fresh finish. Serve the hash browns at the edge of each bowl, with most of the potato above the sauce. That contrast between crisp potato and creamy beans is what makes the bowl work.
