You know how this ones goes don’t you?
Baked Beans, they’re good for your heart,
The more you eat, the more you fart,
The more you fart, the better you feel,
Baked beans for every meal!
Hahahahahahahahaha!
Well, I’m pleased to say, if you prepare your beans properly (as I show you in this recipe), tooting is definitely kept to a minimum!
That’s why it’s so important to soak your beans overnight first and then rinse them well before cooking. It helps to remove the phytic acid from the skin of the beans, which is what causes the digestive upsets and “music”.
I cook these all the time in winter, usually making a double batch and then freezing it in individual portions. Hubby takes it to work for his dinners when he’s on nightshift, and my daughter has them for school lunch as they stay lovely and hot in her thermos.
My favourite way to eat them is with a lovely crisp coleslaw, and I have also been known to throw in leftover roast meat and a few extra veggies when I want to clean out the fridge a bit or make it go further.
Given the high amounts of sugar in salt in most shop-bought baked beans, and how easy these are to make, you really should give them a go! Oh, and I also made a video, which you can check out below to show you just how simple they are to throw together.
Homemade Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 375 g Dried beans (cannellini, kidney or borlotti)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 200 g bacon diced
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tsp Fish sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Pinch pepper
- 1 Pinch salt
- 1 cup Chicken stock (bone broth)
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and place them in a large pot with 2 litres of cold water.
- Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat, cover and stand for 1 hour. (or skip this process and soak the beans overnight in cold water)
- Drain and rinse beans.
- Return beans to the pot and cover with 2 litres of fresh, cold water.
- Bring to the boil then simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender.
- Drain the beans and reserve the liquid. Set aside.
- In the same pot, cook the bacon, garlic and onion in the oil until the onion is lightly browned.
- Add the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Add in the balsamic vinegar, fish sauce, cider vinegar, pepper, salt, stock, drained beans and 2 cups of the bean cooking liquid.
- Cover and bake at 150oC for around 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until the sauce is the desired consistency.
