Baked beans aren’t something that I purchase very often, in fact I can’t quite remember the last time I bought them. Recently Finn has been pointing them out in the supermarket and asking if we could buy them. As there is a lot of added sugar and salt in the tinned variety, I decided I’d try to make my own.
I fried some garlic up with some smoked paprika, passata and tomato puree to make the sauce. At first taste I could understand why the tinned stuff had so much added sugar as the sauce tasted quite sharp. However after it simmers away for 20-30 mins the sharpness goes, the sauce thickens and it tastes delicious.
I love the taste of smoked paprika so I added quite a lot to the tomato sauce. If you or your child aren’t keen on the smokey taste then just reduce the amount. These healthy baked beans don’t taste exactly like the tinned variety but Finn didn’t seem to notice, Rory gobbled them up (and created a huge mess at the same time) and my husband said they taste so much better than tinned baked beans.
Healthy Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp (depending on taste) mild smoked paprika
- 300 g passata
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 x 300g (195g drained) tinned haricot beans (drained)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat.
- Add the garlic and allow to sizzle but be careful not to burn.
- Reduce heat to low, add the smoked paprika and stir.
- Add the passata and puree and then simmer for around 20 mins (until the sharp taste of tomato has gone and the sauce has thickened.)
- Add the beans and simmer for a further 10 mins.
These look like normal baked beans, which is great. My kids love baked beans but would love to have a healthy version, must give these a try! Thanks for sharing x
Thanks Sarah. They do taste different but good! I hope they go down well, let me know!
These look lovely. I shall have to try them as the ordinary ones are too sweet
I find the ordinary ones too sweet as well. I think you will like these 😉
We’re now weaning, so I’ll be saving this recipe to use in a couple of months. Thank you 🙂 #KidsCorner
Helen x
http://treasureeverymoment01.blogspot.co.uk/
Great! ‘m sure they will be a hit 🙂
I think my kids would love these, thanks for sharing! #foodpornthursdays
Thanks Jennifer, I hope they do! x
I found your website through #foodpornthursdays this looks good. I’m vegetarian so I’m excited to try this, since most baked beans have meat or use meat based flavorings!
Oh thanks Mergen, I hope you enjoy x
They look super tasty! I love beans more than lentils!
Thanks Katerina. I’m a big lentil fan but love beans too x
Love the no sugar no salt! Thanks for linking up at #whatkidseatwednesday!
Thank Kylie 🙂
ooo great recipe, beans are great for a quick lunch of on the side of dinner. Thanks for linking up to #kidscorner x
Thanks Amy x
Wow I love baked beans- I would never even think to make my own! You clever thing!! Thanks for sharing in #KidsCorner x
I love it! What a great way to cut out the added ingredients! I had always wondered which means are used in the tin of beans – I will look for haricot beans. Thanks so much for linking up with #foodpornthursdays x
These are great – just making them right now! Do you think they’ll freeze well? ?
Thank you Becca! I haven’t tried freezing them but they should freeze well. Transfer to a freezable container and re heat them from frozen. 🙂
Just so you know my 8 and a half month old Finn loved these! I tried a tin of low sugar/salt Heinz beans a couple of weeks ago and he wasn’t that bothered but he wolfed yours down. So easy to make too and much healthier! I love this blog 🙂
Great! Glad little Finn loved them!! Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Delish!!! Had to improvise a bit, and use navy beans that I had on hand, and also added some chopped up bacon, and the flavour was amazing! My pickly little eater loved them. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yum! So glad they got the picky eater approval!
Very rarely have baked beans as I am the only one that eats them and worry about wasting them, really fancied some tonight and had the ingredients in the cupboard so I made them. No need to worry about waste as they are so yummy that I have scoffed the lot!!!!
Excellent, so glad you liked them! They are pretty addictive!
I am wanting to try these but I’ve never heard of passata. I googled it and it says it’s tomato purée but then I see that mentioned separately so clearly it’s different, can you explain it for me please? Thanks.
Hi Arrica, sorry I think this recipe has got lost in translation. Tomato puree (UK) is often known as tomato paste in other countries. Passata is sieved tomatoes, it may also be called tomato sauce.
My fussy little man didn’t like the beans sobs did the sauce with spaghetti instead and he is currently shovelling it in his mouth. So also good as spaghetti sauce
Hi Lorna, great idea! Glad he likes the sauce with spaghetti even though the beans weren’t a hit!
Cannot wait to try these. I have currently downloaded a few recipes and found this one. Love the no sugar. I’m trying to cook more and more from scratch. Much healthier… thanks
Thanks Nicole, I hope you enjoy them. We love these beans!
I’ve just made these, they are different but tasty! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I am diabetic, cook everything fresh so I know what goes in, and avoid sugar, so I find Heinz beans too sweet. I find these very healthy and will be passing on the recipe to all my friends in Cyprus where I now live. Thank you X
Hi Lyn, So happy you liked them and thanks so much for sharing with your friends! Thanks for taking the time to comment, it really means a lot 🙂
Fabulous recipe!!! In Australia I could only get cannalini beans and butter beans ( big white beans ) so I used those mixed together. Really lovely recipe, easy and quick and delicious on toast!! Thank you
Hi Linda, so glad you like them! I live in Australia now but haven’t made them since moving here. I will have to try them with the cannalini beans – yum! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Hi there! I am just about to make these but I have a packet of dried haricot beans, not tinned! Do you know how I can prepare them so I can use them in this recipe instead of tinned ones?
Hi Heidi, I’m so sorry that I am just getting back to you now. We moved house last weekend and I got behind on my messages and emails. I seemed to have missed your comment. If using dried beans you will want to cook them before using them in the recipe. You will probably need to soak overnight and then boil for around 45 mins. The packaging should tell you.
Just made these- had to use cannolini beans instead, but tastes delicious! I’m going to add some more paprika and some chilli next time, but the basic recipe is good, much healthier than canned. I wouldn’t say it tastes exactly like heindz but still very good. 10/10!
Brilliant, so glad you liked them! – I always up the smoked paprika in this recipe because we all love it so much. Chilli would be fab too!
Hi, Can these be frozen?
Hi Lauren, I have never actually tried freezing these but think they would freeze well.
Great recipe, looking forward to making this for my 6 month old, when someone freezes this recipe please let us know how it turned out after defrosting.
Thanks, Hollie. I am slowly working my way through my old recipes to update and check freezing ability. Although I haven’t frozen these I’m sure they would freeze well. Just freeze on the day you cook them (once completely cooled)
I just rinse the sauce from tinned baked beans to remove most of the sugar, then quickly sauté with a little garlic and olive oil. Delicious with just a bit of sweetness.
Sorry, but I found that this didn’t really taste like baked beans. Not bad tasting, just not like baked beans.
Hi Jennifer, glad you thought they tasted ok and the recipe wasn’t a waste.
Your recipes look delicious and inspire healthy living. I am diabetic and was wondering if you could include he nutritional labels which would be very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you, Robyn. I have started adding nutritional labels to all my new recipes. I am also working my way through my old recipes. In the meantime, you can just punch in the ingredients to an online nutrition calculator.