Skills you will learn in this recipe
Making a well-cooked tomato-based sauce; prepping & cleaning leeks
Links to the last recipe
Cooking with beans
It’s easy to make baked beans at home, you just need to allow enough time to make a well-cooked tomato sauce so that your beans have a deep, rich flavour. The sweet but tangy sauce is a lovely complement to the soft, earthy beans, and these homemade baked beans are hearty enough to be a meal in themselves. Or serve them on toast, with a baked potato or some rice, or, as we did today, with sausages – a perfect pairing!
We like to use a mixture of beans, which not only lends interest to the texture and appearance, but makes the dish more nutritious too, as do the added vegetables. We think the leeks (or onions if you prefer) and carrots are essential to the flavour, but you could omit the peppers if preferred, or swap them out for you favourite vegetable.
These homemade baked beans are a real step up from the type you find in tins – fresher tasting and juicer, but with the same rich comfort factor. If you wanted to more closely replicate canned beans you could blend the sauce before adding the beans, and/or thicken it slightly with cornflour. But we think it’s a shame to lose the texture of the vegetables. And if you want canned baked beans just go ahead and buy them, they’re great in their own right! These beans are more of a stew, but absolutely delicious and well worth the prep time.
Today we were serving them as a side dish for three people. The quantities we used made enough for three very generous portions, plus we had enough left over for at least two or three more servings, so the recipe serves about six. These beans are quite economical to make therefore. Plus, if you omit the butter when frying, vegan. They are also nice served cold, as a bean salad.
The top tip with this dish is to cook the tomato sauce well before adding the canned beans. Canned beans are already cooked (you can use them cold from the tin, as we did with the Tuna Bean Salad) so you only really want to add them a short time before serving. If you add them too soon they will turn to mush OR your sauce won’t have time to develop its lovely deep flavour.
You first need to prepare the bed of vegetables – much as we did for Spaghetti Bolognese. Today we’re using leeks, not onions (though white or brown onions would work fine) as we like the sweetness they lend the dish. First peel and top & tail the carrots, then slice into batons. Then chop the batons quite finely.
Put the carrots in a bowl while you prepare and clean the leeks. Leeks, even ones bought trimmed in packets, can be quite dirty – the dirt ‘hides’ between the layers, particularly at the green end. It’s especially true of leeks sold whole and loose.
To prepare the leeks, cut off the root end and some of the dark green top – but do leave some green as this end has a nice strong leek flavour. Then slice the leek all the way down its length, getting your knife into the middle but not cutting the leek in half (if you do cut it in half by mistake, it’s fine!). Remove the outer layer or two, especially if they feel tough or papery – this in itself will likely remove much of the dirt. If any visible dirt remains, wipe it off – but don’t worry too much about getting it all, we’ll be washing the chopped leeks. You can see where the dirt ‘hides’ in the fourth picture below.
Now slice the leeks across quite finely, all the way along the length so you create rings or strips of leek – separate these out a bit. Put the chopped leeks into a colander or large sieve and rinse well under the cold tap. Add to the bowl with the carrots.
Next prepare the celery. Cut off both ends, then slice into narrow batons. Chop finely, as you did with the carrots, then add to the bowl. Your bed of vegetables is good to go.
Jake sticks his nose in
Try to get each of the vegetables in your bed cut to about the same size. They will all be cooked together, so a uniform size helps them cook evenly, plus looks good in the finished dish. That said, the carrots can afford to be cut a little finer as they are the firmest of the three vegetables.
Now chop the garlic and chillies – find out how in our Tip. We like a little heat, so today we used two hot birds eye chillies, and kept the seeds in. If you like it less hot, use a large (milder) red chilli instead and take the seeds and white pith out.
Finally, chop the peppers. We like a mixture of red & green – the red adds sweetness and the green a little bitterness – but any peppers will do. Cut off the ends and remove the seeds, white pith and stalk. Then slice the peppers into rounds and cut these into bite-sized pieces, You can also chop a little of the top and base.
Jake sticks his nose in
The seeds and white pith in peppers are a little bitter, so remove them. Don’t worry if you don’t get all the pith out at first, you can remove more of it while chopping, when it is easier to reach.
You mise en place is done, and you are ready to cook!
Add a little olive oil to a large high-sided frying pan or casserole, along with a knob of butter. Set over a medium heat until the butter melts and sizzles, and the pan feels hot when you hold your hand over it.
Jake sticks his nose in
Remember Bibi’s tip – the butter adds flavour, the oil stops it from burning. But if you want this dish to be vegan, use just oil.
When the oil is hot, add the bed of vegetables and fry until they soften, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and to ensure the vegetables cook evenly. Add a little more oil if you think the pan is beginning to look dry or the vegetables stick. You want the vegetables just tender, how long depends on the size and firmness of your vegetables – about 5 to 8 minutes.
When the vegetables have just softened, add the chilli and garlic, and stir for another minute or two until the garlic smell rises.
Now add the peppers and stir until they soften a little, especially the skin. Add a little more oil if needed. You do want the peppers to retain some bite however, so they only need a few turns in the hot oil, 2 to 3 minutes.
Next add the tinned tomatoes. Today we used finely chopped tomatoes as they give a nice smooth texture to the sauce, but any tinned tomatoes are fine. If you use whole ones though, you’ll need to smash them up a bit with your spoon.
Rinse out the tomato tins with boiling water, and add about half a can’s worth to the pan. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper to taste – bearing in mind the sauce will have a long cook, so the flavours will develop, and you can season again later.
Now add the paprika to taste – we used about two teaspoons of sweet paprika (not hot paprika). Then add a generous squeeze of brown sauce (about two large tablespoons). This will give the sauce a lovely tangy, almost barbecue, flavour. Stir well. Taste and adjust with any of the seasonings until you like it, again bearing in mind that the sauce will develop and soften as it cooks – it will taste much stronger and more ‘raw’ at this stage.
Jake sticks his nose in
You could use tomato ketchup instead of brown sauce. This will give a sweeter finish, more akin to canned baked beans, if you prefer this. But we personally like the tang from the brown sauce!
Turn up the heat and bring the sauce to the boil. Then turn the heat right down to simmer, and cover the pan with a lid.
You now need to cook the sauce well so the flavours develop – at least half an hour, and longer is better. Today we cooked it for about 45 minutes. Keep taking the lid off and stirring every now and then. You want the sauce to remain juicy BUT you also want to let out some of the steam so it isn’t too wet.
How far you let the sauce reduce is a judgement call and personal taste. You can reduce it right down, which means your final result will be quite thick. But we prefer to leave the sauce a bit loose – first so the beans cook a little in the tomato liquid, and take on some of its flavour. But second, because we like the freshness of a less reduced sauce in this dish.
While the sauce is cooking, chop the parsley – find out how to do this easily in our Tip. And if you are serving with sausages, or any other side, now is the time to get them going!
About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, drain and rinse the beans. You can use any beans you like, but haricot are the traditional choice. These are nice, firm beans that keep their shape. Cannellini beans are similar, but softer, so if you use them be careful and stir them gently so they don’t turn to mush.
We like to use a bean mix in addition to the traditional haricots – not only does this give textural interest to the dish, it ups the plant content too, making it better for you. Today we had a 10 bean mix.
Jake sticks his nose in
You want to use canned beans in plain water. Mixed beans often come in a dressing or sauce – look for ones in water. If you can’t find them, you can use the ones in vinaigrette, but rinse this off thoroughly first.
Add the beans to the tomato sauce and stir them in gently. Taste again, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Add the parsley, reserving a little to garnish, and simmer for about 10 minutes. You want the beans to be warmed through, and to take on a little flavour from the sauce. But remember that they are already cooked, so 10 minutes or so should be plenty.
Serve, garnished with a little parsley. The beans are hearty enough to enjoy alone or with some potato, rice or crusty bread. But we love them with sausages!
Enjoy!
Hearty, Healthy Homemade Baked Beans
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Top & tail and peel the carrots, then chop them finely.
- Top & tail the leeks. Slice along the length just to the centre, and remove the outer layers. Wipe off any visible dirt. Slice the leeks into fine rounds and separate these out. Place in a colander or large sieve and wash well under the cold tap. Add to the carrots.
- Top & tail the celery and chop finely. Add to the carrots & leeks – this is your bed of vegetables.
- Chop the garlic and chillies. See our Tip.
- Deseed and core the peppers, and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Add oil to a large, high-sided frying pan or casserole, along with the butter. Set over a medium heat until the butter melts and sizzles. Add the bed of vegetables and cook until they just soften, stirring, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chillies & garlic, and cook for a few more minutes until the garlic smell rises.
- Add the peppers, and fry until they just soften. You want them to retain some bite, so a couple of turns in the hot oil, 2 to 3 minutes, should be enough.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, and rinse out the tins with boiling water. Add about half a can of water to the sauce. Add the paprika and brown sauce, and stir well. Taste, then season with salt & pepper, or any of the seasonings, as needed, bearing in mind the sauce will soften and develop as it cooks – it will taste a little raw at this stage.
- Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook well – at least 30 minutes, and ideally about 45 minutes or more. Take the lid off and stir frequently, to prevent sticking and to let out some steam. How far you let the sauce reduce is your choice – we like it a little juicy.
- While the sauce is cooking, chop the parsley. See our herb Tip. Also prepare any side, if serving.
- About 15 minutes before you are ready to serve, drain and rinse the beans. Add to the sauce, and stir gently to combine. Add the parsley, taste, and adjust any seasoning. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Serve, garnished with a little more parsley, alone or with your side of choice.
- Enjoy!