An easy recipe for homemade stovetop baked beans with hidden vegetables. No baking required. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
If you'd like to make your own homemade baked beans but don't have time to make a traditional baked beans recipe which needs several hours in the oven then this is for you.
It's a really easy, one pan, vegetarian baked beans recipe that doesn't take long to cook, but can be made in advance, or frozen.
What are baked beans?
The clue is in the name - usually baked beans are haricot beans baked with a tomato sauce and spices. Haricot beans (sometimes called navy beans) are usually used although they can be made with any bean.
Tinned baked beans are a brilliant convenience food that millions of people around the world love and eat regularly.
Read more about baked beans on Wikipedia.
Are baked beans good for you?
Commercial baked beans tend to be high in salt and sugar and that's why I like to make my own when possible. They do count towards your five a day, which is great news.
In this recipe in addition to the beans and tomato sauce I've added in some butternut squash and some yellow pepper. This helps to make the sauce more orange, and therefore a bit closer to what comes out of a tin.
It also helps my kids along the way to eating five portions of fruit and veg a day - something we are still seriously struggling with.
Did the Sneaky Veg kids like these stovetop baked beans?
So how did they go down?
Well, they certainly weren't fooled that this was the same thing that comes in a tin. R, 6, immediately said "are these homemade?" - which unfortunately to him means not as good.
But two out of three kids ate them which in my book counts as a success! And I'm much happier knowing that Baby S in particular has had these homemade beans. The extra veggies and no added salt or refined sugar makes these a much better option.
These homemade vegetarian baked beans make a great weekend brunch or lunch served with toast but they're also lovely served as part of a more substantial meal, such as alongside veggie sausages.
The recipe below makes quite a large quantity of beans, so depending on your family's size you can freeze a portion, or two, or perhaps even more. Alternatively you could halve these quantities.
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How to make homemade stove top baked beans
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Homemade stove top baked beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 150 g piece of butternut squash roasted or steamed
- 800 g chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
- 720 g haricot beans (navy beans) 3 x 400g tins, drained and rinsed.
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan and fry one chopped onion over a medium heat until soft.
- Stir through 2 chopped cloves of garlic, cook for a further minute, then add one diced yellow pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes or until the pepper has softened, before adding 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
- Stir well then add the 150g cooked butternut squash and 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes. Blend until you have a smooth sauce - I find a hand held stick blender is ideal for this.
- Stir through 3 x 400g tins of drained haricot beans and warm through.
Notes
Nutrition
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Susan
So good - I love baked beans but even the sugar free version tends to be a little sweet for my taste. This was perfect- I only put in a dash of maple syrup but it could easily be omitted. A very easy & tasty recipe. Made a half quantity today, but will make the full quantity next time and freeze portions.
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Susan - so glad you enjoyed the beans
Lalita
Hi, thanks for the superb recipe. Can we use fresh tomatoes instead of can ones?
Mandy Mazliah
Hi Lalita, sure - you can definitely use fresh tomatoes instead. That would be delicious!
Monika Dabrowski
I love the idea of 'hiding' veggies in this tasty bean recipe! Makes for a great after school snack!
Mandy Mazliah
Or lunch...or brunch... Or anytime really!
Corina
They look so much like real baked beans! My youngest loves beans and my oldest is just beginning to so I will definitely try this.
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Corina - let me know how they go down x
Midge
Definitely going to try this!! The Ginger Peachick is completely addicted to baked beans and although we buy the cheapest with the least salt in Im still not a fan as she eats them so often! Trouble is they are a great source of non dairy calcium so def pinning this for later! x
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Midge - these don't take too long to make at all and you can make loads and freeze them so they're a good alternative to tinned ones.
Sarah James
What a delicious recipe Mandy, I love how it's so quick and easy. A brilliant idea to add butternut squash to colour and sweeten the beans so you only need to add a tablespoon of maple syrup, so much better than refined sugar. Give me homemade baked beans any day, my boys used to prefer the tinned version but now they're adults they happily tuck into homemade.
Mandy Mazliah
I think my kids still prefer tinned but I much prefer the homemade ones and hopefully they will too one day!
Eb Gargano
Fab recipe!! My son is an absolute baked beans addict, and whilst I know it's not the worst food in the world, with the added salt and sugar, I know it's not the best either, so homemade baked beans would be a great solution - these are just full of goodness and I bet they taste delicious!! So now if you could just can them and sell them in the supermarket that would be perfect 😉 Thanks for linking it up to #CookBlogShare this week 🙂 Xx
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Eb - this recipe is also good because it makes loads and you can freeze it in portion-sized pots! I think homemade baked beans taste way better than those from a tin - the kids take a bit more convincing!
Faye Colegate
This looks yummy and fab you can freeze them for a busy day!!
Mandy Mazliah
Absolutely - I have a freezer full!