Homemade Baked Beans: Vegetarian Breakfasts

I knew I had achieved my goal with this recipe when Scott walked over whilst I was photographing it and said “You can’t put heinz baked beans on toast on your blog!!”. I had based this recipe on re-creating my favourite baked beans on toast but with so much more nutrition and depth! The taste isn’t exactly there because my beans are much more savoury however I like the smooth sauce and simplicity of the beans.

I used natural flavours to bring out the sweetness of the beans. The sauce is made from roasted red pepper and sweet potato which adds  a sweeter tone without any need for sugar but also the sweet potato works brilliantly as a thickener so there is no need for any ingredients such as flour etc.

Sweet potatoes are really good for you so I kind of see these beans as having hidden nutrition, yes tinned beans are low fat and a good bit of protein, but my beans are like… super beans!

They’re not technically baked as I just made them in a pan but I felt the need to call them baked beans since that was what I was trying to emulate.

Since Monday I have been following a wheat and gluten free diet so although usually I would eat my beans on a slice of toast this morning I had my beans on a big pile of stir fried kale with an egg on top and it worked really nicely.

I used one can of borlotti beans for this recipe and it served 4 (the added potato and pepper makes it go much further!) however I think the sauce was enough to feed 6-8 so I froze the extra sauce to add to some beans next weekend when I fancy a nice brunch.

Serves 4 with extra sauce

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 Red Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
Smoked Paprika
1 Can Tomatoes
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 cup Water
1 Can cooked Borlotti Beans (or any white bean of your choice)
Splash Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat your oven to 190c. Peel your sweet potato and chop it into large chunks then place on a baking tray with the whole pepper (don’t cut the pepper) and coat the pepper and the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt and smoked paprika. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Allow them to cool down slightly then to prepare the pepper pull the green stem away from the body and most of the seeds and juice should pour out. Slice the pepper open and scrape away any remaining seeds then peel off any tough blackened skin and slice roughly.

Put the cooked sweet potato and red pepper into a blender with the garlic, canned tomatoes and water untill it is a smooth paste. Depending on the size of your potato you may need a splash more water but keep the sauce thick.

Drain the canned borlotti beans and put them into a saucepan. Pour enough sauce in to cover the beans and add a splash of balsamic vinegar then give it all a good stir and heat through untill piping hot. Check your seasoning and then serve either on toast or with your breakfast items of choice.