I can hear you – “why on earth would I want to make baked beans when they are cheap, readily available and already allergy-free?” This is about slow food; and using fresh, unprocessed ingredients. As I like my potato baked for about an hour in the oven, why not use that time to bake my own beans?
The preparation takes about 10 minutes, then you just need to leave them to bubble away, giving the occasional stir. You could even put them in the oven with your potatoes. This makes the equivalent volume of 2 tins of beans, but it can easily be doubled-up and frozen.
Try it, and see what you think. Once you have experienced how this looks and tastes so similar, but is so much better for your body, you’ll be as converted as I am. And as you will see from the speedy meatballs recipe, regularly using tomatoes and onions can help to prevent certain types of cancers.
Lunchtime tip – invest in a good food flask and take these into the office for a lovely hot meal, or give to the children to take into school (remember to follow the food safety instructions!).
homemade baked beans
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| Prep Time10 minutes |
| Cook Time1hour |
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- 1 red onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 200 g tinned tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tins haricot or cannellini beans 400g tins, drained or 200g dried beans
Quantity of servings: generous servings
View units in:
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Ingredients
Quantity of servings: generous servings View units in: |
- If you are using dried beans, soak them the night before and follow the instructions on the packet - this will add at least 1 hour onto the cooking time but will be much more economical. In this case, I would definitely double the recipe and freeze half!
- Chop the onion very finely. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and add the onion. Cook and stir for 8 minutes or so until soft, and starting to brown.
- Add the garlic, sumac and tomatoes. Blitz until smooth in a blender or hand-held stick blender. Add back to the pan with the remaining ingredients and 200 ml water.
- Cover and cook over a medium-low heat for about an hour - stirring occasionally, until the starches from the beans are released and make the sauce thick.
cook once : eat twice
Freezes really well, so double the recipe and have one in the freezer for next time.
Calories from Fat 27
5%
3%
26%
16%
12%
40%
22%
1%
11%
15%
26%