Homemade Baked Beans

If you are a lover of cooked haricot beans then this simple haricot baked beans in tomato sauce recipe is the one for you. The tomato sauce is rich, robust and bursting with flavour, complimenting nicely the often bland flavour of the haricot bean. So easy to make I truly believe you will never open a can of baked beans again!

By the way – this recipe is 100% vegan and suitable for all vegetarians or those who just dont want to eat meat.

20 mins

sauce 40 mins + final cook

150ºC sauce/stove top

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion

- chopped
2 cloves garlic

- chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin measure of water

- use tomato tin
135g tomato puree

- 1 small carton
1 bayleaf
1 capful cider vinegar
Plenty of seasoning

- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Beans
Large 800g tin white haricot beans

- pre-cooked, drained well

Instructions

Cook tomato sauce:
01 Heat oil in an oven proof pan with a lid. Add chopped onions and soften. Now add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stirring well.
02 Add tin of chopped tomatoes, capful of cider vinegar, tomato puree, seasonings, bayleaf and 1 tin measure of cold water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in a moderate oven for 40 minutes.
Puree tomato sauce:
03 Remove from the oven. Tip cooked sauce into a large bowl. Wash saucepan and keep to one side for further use.
04 Remove bayleaf from the sauce and using either an electric hand blender or liquidiser (or food processor) pulse the cooked sauce to form a thick puree. Return to saucepan to add the beans.
Assemble for final cook:
05 Tip the washed and drained beans to the tomato sauce. Mix well. Check seasoning and return to the hob for a final slow cook for 15 minutes or so. Do not over stir or over cook the beans.
Serve:
06 Enjoy hot on their own, or on toast or with a delicious baked potato topped with grated cheese.

Notes

I prefer not to add sugar to my baked beans as I prefer a slightly tart tomato sauce, but if you prefer slightly sweeter add 1 tsp of sugar to the tomato sauce. I also like to use tinned haricot beans to shorten prep and the total cooking time. Do not over stir the final mixture as the beans are pre-cooked and soft, with a tendency to break if over mixed.