Make a meal of it: how to jazz up a tin of baked beans

The Guardian

25-02-2025

How can I make a tin of baked beans tastier?
'You've come to the right place,' says food writer Melek Erdal. 'One of my most popular recipes ever was jazzed-up beans on toast, which came out of lockdown, when we were all utilising everything.' Essentially, when it comes to injecting flavour into baked beans, it's all about the base, and for Erdal that means toasting spices (cumin seeds, ground coriander, aleppo chilli) in an ovenproof pan, then adding 'the magic triangle', namely ginger, garlic and chilli, and some oil. 'Add the beans, crumble feta on top, then pop it in the oven until the top caramelises.' Erdal might also add a drizzle of tahini, 'for a take on shakshuka, and a lovely brunch or lunch.'
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In a similar riffable vein, Eleanor Maidment, author of Pulse, makes a base of chorizo and red peppers, then adds beans and poaches some eggs in them. Cured meat is, of course, always a good idea, too: 'Baked beans are quite sweet, so savoury things work really well with them,' Maidment says. 'Fry onions and bacon, then add the beans and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, say.'
It's also helpful to think of your tin as beans in tomato sauce, rather than as a standalone dish, advises the Guardian's own Felicity Cloake. 'Each tin is the start of any number of quick, tomato-based bean dishes,' she says, although a good start would be frying chopped onion, perhaps some ginger or diced carrot and celery, then stirring in spices or dried herbs: 'Curry powder or an Indian spice blend of your choice, oregano and garlic for an Italian vibe [and especially good with mozzarella], or smoked paprika and crumbled chorizo for a Spanish feel … You get the idea.' Add the beans, bring to a simmer, stir in some frozen spinach and top with an egg, thick yoghurt and/or crumbled cheese: 'Once you start seeing them as a stew, rather than a topping, a world of beany possibilities will open up.'
You could expand your horizons further still with Ed Grace's Tuscan twist. 'Everyone knows how good baked beans and sausages are together,' says the chef at Trullo in London, 'and when they're cooked with wine and sage, too, they turn into a simple yet delicious dinner.' For two, he browns six good-quality sausages until golden. 'Turn down the heat, add two finely sliced garlic cloves, three sage leaves and half a tablespoon of fennel seeds, and cook for three minutes more.' Pour in 75ml white wine and, once that's evaporated, add a tin of baked beans, 500g spinach and a ladleful of chicken stock (or water). 'Cook for about five minutes, until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has thickened, then finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.' Also looking to sunnier climes, Maidment might bolster baked beans with tomato puree, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs, or she'd go in with some chipotle paste: 'Stuff those into tacos with avocado and grated cheese'.
And if time is of the essence, other easy updates Erdal has in her arsenal include simply adding a knob of butter ('That always works'), mixing up the beans ('Bung in half a tin of drained butter beans, too'), or accessorising beans on toast with crumbled feta, chopped spring onion and parsley: 'That's how I make them a justifiable meal, anyway.'
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