Who doesn’t love baked beans? They are cheap, tasty and go with pretty much anything. For me, they were a staple of my childhood, served with toast, baked potatoes, eggs… the list goes on.
So when I was planning to make a quick and easy vegetarian “fry up” I thought I’d buy a can of beans to go with it. As we’re trying to eat healthy in my household I thought I’d check the nutritional content of one of my family favorites and was shocked. The can was high in salt, sugar and preservatives. With that in mind I thought to myself, “how hard could it be to make my own baked beans?” and it turns out, it’s not hard at all.
For my recipe I picked navy beans as this was what most people were recommending to use for a “traditional” baked bean. After soaking them over night I slow cooked them in a rich tomato sauce until I had the texture I was looking for. They were super delicious, easy to make, and well worth a try.
EASY BAKED BEANS
By Charlie Butler
yield: 8 sides of beans
What you’ll need:
- 450g dried beans (I used navy)
- Half an onion (finely chopped)
- 40g sundried tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 750g canned tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
How it’s done:
1. If you’re using dried beans they’ll need to be prepared as directed. Generally you’ll want to rinse them and then let them soak overnight.
2. In a large saucepan cook the onions for a couple of minutes over a low heat and then toss in the garlic and chopped sundried tomatoes. Once the onions are translucent (this should take about 10 minutes) you can pour in the canned tomatoes, as well as the ketchup and sriracha. If you prefer a spicy dish you can add more sriracha, or leave it out entirely for a milder flavour.
3. Add the drained beans to the tomato sauce and allow to cook for 3-4 hours (or more if required), adding a little extra water if it becomes too trust. You’ll basically want to cook the beans until you get a texture you’re happy with.