Homemade baked beans
Ingredients:
Approx. 800g mixed dried beans – black-eyed, red kidney, cannellini, butter beans. (whichever you prefer)
2 large onions – finely chopped.
4 cloves garlic – minced.
3 carrots – finely diced.
3 stalks celery – finely diced.
1 red capsicum – finely diced.
1 green capsicum – finely diced.
2 tbsp. ground cumin.
2 tbsp. ground coriander.
1 tbsp. sweet paprika.
1 tbsp. smoked paprika.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
8 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes (no added salt).
1 bunch parsley - fined chopped.
Method:
- Place the dried beans in a very large bowl (at least twice the size as taken up by the beans), cover them generously with water and soak for 24-48 hours.
- Rinse the beans with fresh water about every 12 hours, and make sure they are covered by water at all times.
- Using a very large pot, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, red and green capsicum in the extra virgin olive oil at medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the spices, and cook a further minute, till fragrant.
- Now add the drained beans and canned tomatoes, you can also use some fresh tomatoes if you prefer, or a mix, I go with what I feel like and what I have (what’s in season).
- Make sure there is plenty of moisture and tomatoes to cover all the beans and veg.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 24 hours.
- Add chopped parsley at the end of the cooking to finish.
- This makes a lot of baked beans (about 6 litres) which can be frozen in small (individual 34 x 175mL) servings. A serve can be pulled out at breakfast time, defrosted and heated in the microwave while your toast is toasting (about 2 minutes).
- Great on toast for breakfast, as an after school snack, or on a baked potato for lunch.