Chilli beans with smashed spuds

Like beans on toast but with ambitions, this is comfort food that’s had a word with itself, bulked up with smoky chilli and planted on a throne of crispy-edged, smashed potatoes. It’s cheap. It’s filling. It’s deeply gratifying. Amazing on toast, too.

Chilli beans with smashed spuds. Credit: Hardie Grant Publishing / Jo Murphy

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 chipotle chilli in adobo, finely chopped, or 1 tsp ancho chilli flakes or a few shakes of chipotle Tabasco
• ½ fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 250 g (1½ cups) cooked beans or 1 x 400 g (14 oz) tin, drained and rinsed (see Note)
• 1 cup passata
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) water

For the spuds

• 500 g (1lb 2oz) baby potatoes
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• Handful of grated Cheddar cheese (optional)
• Greek yoghurt
• fresh coriander leaves

Serves 2 as a starter or side.

Instructions

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through. Drain the potatoes and let them cool slightly.
2. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
3. Put the boiled potatoes on a baking tray. Use a fork, cup or potato masher (even your hand if the spuds are cool enough) to gently flatten each potato until they are 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. Drizzle the oil over the flattened potatoes. Season the tops and bottoms with the smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
4. Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, turning them over halfway through, until they are crispy and golden brown on both sides.
5. Meanwhile, to make the chilli beans, heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes, until it’s starting to soften. Stir in the garlic, chilli and spices and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the beans, passata and water. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To serve, arrange the crispy smashed spuds on a serving plate, then spoon over the chilli beans. Scatter over a handful of grated Cheddar (if using), then add a few big spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Note

I use black beans or Carlin peas here, but any bean will work.

This is an edited extract from Beans by Ali Honour, releasing nationally by Hardie Grant Publishing on 31 March 2026. Photography by Jo Murphy.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.