I always thought that canned baked beans were a cheap and cheerful, healthy fast-food staple. But when I started researching salt intake, I realised that canned baked beans can have a mountain of salt in them! And don't even get me started on the sugar! We were buying Oak baked beans, as they ended up being our favourite. But when you look at the sodium needs, you get 100% of your daily sodium intake from one can - that's 2000mg per can. That's scary. And along with that you get 26g of sugar (4g is a teaspoon, so that's over 6.5 teaspoons per can!). So how about the other big brand, Watties? Well they have 1810mg of sodium per can, and a whopping 31g of sugar (7.75 teaspoons). You don't even need to do the maths to know these need to stay on the shelf if you are eating for your health. There are more expensive, low sodium varieties on the market, but I have not bought any, since working out how easy it is to make my own.
I find the process of making my own very satisfying. They follow all the principles of whole food plant based eating, in that they have no oil, no added salt and no added sugar. And by starting from dry beans, they are very cost effective to make. You can tweek the flavours to suit, and they can still be a fast-food if you store batches in the freezer to defrost as needed.
Eat them with my Potato Hash Cakes or toasted Super Whole Grain Bread for a hearty, healthy meal.
Source of nutritional info: Countdown NZ website, accessed on 29 Dec 2021
Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak overnight (minimum 6 hours)
Drain the beans. Add them to a large pot, and cover with water. (If you have any vege stock you have made, you can use this instead of water, for extra flavour.) Add the baking soda, which helps soften the beans. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer, cooking until the beans are soft. This takes approx 20-60 minutes, depending on the bean you are using, and how long you have soaked them for. Spoon off and discard any scum/foam that occurs during cooking.
While the beans are cooking prepare the tomato sauce. Add the onions and sherry to a large non-stick saute pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are soft.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Swirl the tomato can with 1/2 can of water, and add this to the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
Blend the sauce using a stick blender. If you don't have a stick blender, blend using a standard blender, then return the sauce to the pot.
Once the beans have cooked, drain them and add to the tomato sauce. Cook, stirring regularly, until the tomato sauce has thickened and sweetened. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Serve warm.
Can be stored in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for three months. Freeze in single serve portions, for easy defrosting.
If you prefer a more rustic, homemade look for your beans, then skip the blending of the sauce. You may want to take extra care in how you cut your onions, if this is your preference.
Cooking times for beans. I suggest you search online for the cooking times before starting. For instance, I found it amazing that the small Haricot Beans take MUCH MUCH longer to cook than their larger cousin Cannellini Beans.
Ingredients
Directions
Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak overnight (minimum 6 hours)
Drain the beans. Add them to a large pot, and cover with water. (If you have any vege stock you have made, you can use this instead of water, for extra flavour.) Add the baking soda, which helps soften the beans. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer, cooking until the beans are soft. This takes approx 20-60 minutes, depending on the bean you are using, and how long you have soaked them for. Spoon off and discard any scum/foam that occurs during cooking.
While the beans are cooking prepare the tomato sauce. Add the onions and sherry to a large non-stick saute pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the onions are soft.
Add the rest of the ingredients. Swirl the tomato can with 1/2 can of water, and add this to the pan. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Continue cooking until the sauce starts to thicken.
Blend the sauce using a stick blender. If you don't have a stick blender, blend using a standard blender, then return the sauce to the pot.
Once the beans have cooked, drain them and add to the tomato sauce. Cook, stirring regularly, until the tomato sauce has thickened and sweetened. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Serve warm.
Can be stored in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for three months. Freeze in single serve portions, for easy defrosting.
If you prefer a more rustic, homemade look for your beans, then skip the blending of the sauce. You may want to take extra care in how you cut your onions, if this is your preference.
Cooking times for beans. I suggest you search online for the cooking times before starting. For instance, I found it amazing that the small Haricot Beans take MUCH MUCH longer to cook than their larger cousin Cannellini Beans.
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