Homemade sugar-free baked beans on rye toast, with grated parmesan

A kitchen cupboard classic! This is easy to make & much tastier & healthier than shop-bought baked beans which are mostly stuffed with refined sugar. There is one brand which is sugar-free i have tried but it has an overpowering flavour of apple sauce, so it feels like eating pudding rather than something savoury.

So here is my version!  Effectively you combine a homemade tomato sauce to a can of your favourite beans. (You can soak and boil your own if you have the inclination!). My tomato sauce principally uses fresh tomatoes, vegetable stock, celery, garlic, honey & herbs. Excellent when you have a glut of tomatoes or lots of very ripe ones in the fridge you need to make into something.

Beans on toast will never be the same again!

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 15-20 mins

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 garlic clove

1 celery stick, finely chopped

400g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tbsp cider vinegar

100ml vegetable stock (I use bouillon powder)

1/2 tbsp tomato purée or umami paste

1 tsp honey or vegan substitute, like agave or date syrup or 1/2 tsp stevia

1 tsp dried thyme or a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 X 400g can of cannellini beans/ butter beans/ borlotti beans work well

1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

Salt & pepper, to taste

Method:

Dice a red onion & celery stick. Place in a deep pan with 1 crushed garlic clove & coconut oil & gently brown the onion.

Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes & add to the onion mixture.

Add cider vinegar, vegetable stock (I use organic bouilllon powder; for taste, it dissolves well, it is gluten-free & suitable for vegans). Cover & cook until the tomatoes have squished up to form a sauce.

Add 1/2 tablespoon of tomato puree or umami paste if you have it. If you do not have umami paste, a dash of Worcester sauce will add a lovely savoury taste instead.

Add your bean of choice; cannellini, borlotti work well, as do butter beans if you like giant baked beans! (As shown in my photos!). Add honey, fresh or dried thyme, 1 bay leaf & a dash of soya sauce to tamari.

Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Season with salt & pepper. Serve & enjoy!

Serving suggestion: with grated parmesan, poached eggs, avocado & toasted sourdough, rye or wholemeal bread.

Variation: You can add cayenne pepper & chilli powder if you like a more spicy version.

Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.