I love baked beans. Especially with breakfast. The first time I remember having them was with my maternal grandmother in Debenham's department store in Southampton, England. The beans were part of the full breakfast special. They were sticky, slightly overcooked in the best possible way, and I was immensely taken with smashing the accompanying blackened tomato into them, which loosened up the sauce and made everything gloriously juicy. Then I pressed it all onto my toast with the lusciously runny eggs, a slice of sausage, and a smear of brown sauce. It was my perfect bite.
My kids though, are not such an easy sell. They generally have broadly ranging appetites, which isn't surprising given their distinctly mixed Indian-Irish-English heritage and the reality of being the offspring of a person who writes about food for a living.
Their status as my default taste testers means they've learned to articulate their opinions on our meals and my cooking. And for the longest time, I couldn't figure a way to get my boys on board with baked beans in any form. I offered them up with hot dogs, but no takers. With jerk ham hocks: no dice. With beans of every sort and laced with maple syrup boiled by their own grandfather. Not happening (but they'd like the syrup with tomorrow's pancakes, thanks very much).
That is, until this past summer, when the smoky, bacon-studded baked beans at Ottawa restaurant Wilf and Ada's gained two new fans in the under-10 crowd. Bolstered by the turn of events, I decided to give beans another go at home.
I chose large lima beans because I like their fluffy insides when cooked, and cooked them as per usual: soaked overnight in cold water, then rinsed and covered with fresh water, with a peeled garlic clove, two bay leaves and a hefty pinch of dried chile flakes, then brought to the boil, partially covered and left to burble on the lowest heat possible. I let them cook until tender with fluffy mashed potato insides.
For next steps, I banked on the boys' fondness for Punjabi chole (channa) masala. Onions, ginger, and garlic make up the base, then the velvety vegetable mix is brought to life with garam masala, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chile flakes. With more tomatoes than customary and the addition of tomato paste for even more body, the gravy turns out like Indian ketchup. The brown sugar helps with the colour and rounds out the flavours so that they come across as salivatingly acidic, and with just enough humming heat rather than full-on fire.
On toast, with eggs, or simply out of the pan, they are thus far a hit in our household. I consider it no small victory.
Servings: 8
Indian Baked Beans on Toast
1/4 cup ghee or olive oil
3 yellow onions, minced
Kosher salt, as needed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons golden cane or light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups strained tomatoes (passata) or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
5 cups cooked large white lima beans or royal coronas
Toast and garnishes such as eggs cooked to your liking, chile oil, fresh cilantro, coriander chutney mixed with yogurt, or fresh lime wedges
Method
Preheat an oven to 350 F. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the ghee. Add the onions along with a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until very soft and evenly golden, around 15 minutes. Tip in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more, keeping the vegetables moving all the while.
Stir in the sugar, coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric and chile flakes into the pot and toast for 30 to 45 seconds, until aromatic. Spoon in the tomato paste and cook, firmly mashing and working the paste into the vegetables and against the bottom of the pan until the paste starts to darken and its raw smell has cooked away, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes and beans, and stir gently. If needed, add enough water so that the liquids cover the beans completely. Season with another pinch of salt.
Bake beans in the hot oven, uncovered and without stirring, until the sauce is richly coloured, thick and bubbling all over, about 1 hour. Check for seasoning, then serve beans on top of toasted bread, with garnishes as desired.
Note: Coriander chutney is sold in Asian shops and some supermarkets; it is also simply called green chutney or by the Indian names of hari or dhaniya chutney.
FAQs
Pile the beans onto the toast (you can butter the slices or leave them plain), place the eggs on top and sprinkle with extra cumin. If you have any fresh herbs around like coriander or parsley, you can sprinkle them on, too.
What kind of beans are used for beans on toast? ›
Origin of Baked Beans on Toast
British baked beans are traditionally made with navy beans, which are a small white bean. Baked beans on toast is often served for breakfast as a part of a fry up (the British term for a Cooked English Breakfast).
Is baked beans on toast a healthy meal? ›
In fact, if you are regularly tucking into wholemeal toast, baked beans, fish fingers or ready-made pasta sauces, rest assured that these can still be part of a healthy diet and there's no shame in relying on these processed foods.
Is beans on toast good for diabetics? ›
Beans are a diabetes super food, meaning they are good for your health and they have diabetes-specific benefits. They are a low-glycemic ingredient, and are high in protein and fiber. The American Diabetes Association advises people with diabetes to add dried beans or no-sodium canned beans to several meals each week.
How can I make my beans taste better? ›
Switch up your bean cooking liquid
You can cook beans in any kind of stock, for example, or any kind of combination of stock and water that you want. You can also add some wine or beer for more flavor. Just let it reduce for a few minutes to cook off some of the alcohol before adding the water and/or stock.
What can I add to beans to make them better? ›
Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.
Why do English people eat beans on toast? ›
tif. Beans and toast is a breakfast tradition in the UK (it's both adored and loathed) that has stood the test of time. The story goes that in 1927 an executive at Heinz decided to create a national dish in order to sell more canned beans and an iconic dish was born.
Can you get baked beans in America? ›
While baked beans was initially a New England region cuisine, the dish has become a popular item throughout the United States; and is now a staple item served most frequently along various types of barbecue and at picnics.
What is the most common bean used in baked beans? ›
Navy beans, also known as Haricot Beans, are the beans used in commercially produced canned baked beans. They are white beans that are slightly smaller than Cannellini beans. However, any small to medium beans will work just fine here. They don't even need to be white!
Is scrambled eggs on toast healthy? ›
The Verdict. In this scenario, eggs on toast is the breakfast winner due to their protein and complex carb double whammy - it's especially good if you're trying to keep yourself full till lunch. Don't ditch the porridge straight away though, add some greek yoghurt, nut butter and/or seeds for an added protein punch.
Individuals wanting to lose weight should start regularly eating beans on toast, academics have said. Researchers from the Shanghai Clinical Center for Diabetes have found that the resistant starch in Heinz baked beans and the wholegrains in brown bread are good for weight loss.
Who eats baked beans on toast? ›
A cheap, protein-packed meal
Though Brits are no longer affected by wartime rationing, they still love their cheap and satisfying beans on toast — a dish that nostalgia has surely propelled to the forefront of the U.K.'s cuisine.
Which Dal is good for diabetes? ›
Bengal gram (Chana dal): With a glycaemic index as low as 8, the diabetic patients can go easy with Chana Dal as it contains a high amount of proteins along with folic acid which helps in the formation of new cells, especially red blood cells.
Are bananas good for diabetics? ›
Though bananas are higher in carbs and sugars than some foods, they also contain fiber and resistant starch that slows down the digestion and release of sugar into your bloodstream. These qualities make bananas a healthy, go-to snack for people with diabetes.
How do Brits eat beans on toast? ›
In a saucepan, heat up the beans. Spoon onto toast and top with Worcestershire sauce. (You could use Parmesan cheese too). ENJOY!
How to make canned beans taste like restaurant? ›
I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.
Why do British people put beans on toast? ›
tif. Beans and toast is a breakfast tradition in the UK (it's both adored and loathed) that has stood the test of time. The story goes that in 1927 an executive at Heinz decided to create a national dish in order to sell more canned beans and an iconic dish was born.
