Yes you can buy them in tins. There's something just more virtuous and wholesome about making homemade baked beans. Served with grilled cheese, the meal is both healthy and nutritious.
Unaware of the virtues of this simple and timeless classic? Read how baked beans on toast can make a great part of a healthy sports diet.
More...
Depending on my mood, I sometimes use the food processor to speed up with preparing the vegetables. Sometimes I don't even bother peeling the carrot - just chop into chunks to help the processor do its job. I like the mix to be relatively fine but you could keep it more chunk for a slightly 'rustic' feel to you baked beans.
This is totally optional though - it doesn't take long at all to chop by hand and you can go as fine as you like.
These baked beans will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up top 3 months. I find ziploc sandwich bags are idea for this!
Remember you can used these baked beans in other ways too. Try adding them to a toasted sandwich (see recipe variation below). Alternatively, you could even stir them into a vegetable soup for added dietary fibre.
Homemade Baked Beans with Grilled Cheese Ingredients
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
Large onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
Medium carrot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g salt-reduced cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 small bunch thyme
Black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)
4 thick slices wholegrain bread
120g reduced fat vintage cheddar, sliced
Serves 4
Method
Homemade Baked Beans with Grilled Cheese Macros
(per serve)
319 kcal | grams | % of calories |
|---|---|---|
Protein | 19.1 | 24% |
Carbohydrate | 32.4 | 42% |
Fat | 11.7 | 34% |
Variations
If you don't have (or don't like) thyme, you could use a sprig of rosemary instead. I like to use fresh herbs in this but I have used dried thyme before. You don't need much, maybe 1/4 of a teaspoon. This is totally subjective though - add as much or as little as you like.
If you wanted a more pronounced flavour, you could use Parmesan instead of cheddar. Finely grate some over the toast and melt under the grill before adding the beans. For speed, you don't even have to melt it first. The warm beans will take care of that, and the cheese mixes and blends more with the beans.
You could turn this dish into a toastie instead. Sandwich about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture with 2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of bread. Toast in a sandwich press until warm and the cheese has melted.
Be sure to leave me a comment below letting me know how you got on with these homemade baked beans. Remember, if you want a printable PDF version, just click the orange button above or click here.
Additionally, if you're keen on tracking your macros - the PDF has MyFitnessPal barcode for easy logging and tracking.
Happy grilling!
