Sugar Free Baked Beans

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!

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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.