3 Baked Bean Recipes You Need In Your Life Right Now

Baked beans are an essential store cupboard ingredient that you should always have to hand. The chances are you’ve kept a can or two in your kitchen for many months, years even, yet never decided to use them. 

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On their own, baked beans can be a bit plain and boring. But, when used alongside other ingredients they can create some filling and delicious recipes. 

If you’re looking for some baked bean inspiration, here are three very simple recipes you need in your life: 

Baked potato and beans

A classic dish that requires minimal preparation and can only take a few minutes to cook. This is a five-ingredient meal too; the only things you’ll need are baked beans, potatoes, cheese, olive oil, and paprika. 

Put the beans in a pan/pot on the stove and heat them up with a sprinkling of paprika. While this cooks, wash your potatoes and pierce them a few times with a fork or knife. Rub in some oil and a touch of salt, then cook in your microwave. It should take around 7 minutes total (flip the potato over halfway through) but cooking times vary depending on how big the potatoes are. 

When everything is cooked, split the potatoes in half and cover them with your beans. Sprinkle over some grated cheese and let it melt naturally. It’s a quick meal that’s surprisingly filling and packed full of protein and fiber. 

If you’re a potato skin lover, pop them in the oven for around 45 minutes instead. It takes significantly longer, but you can just sit around or do some chores while you wait, and it gives you crispy skin to eat. 

Smokey baked beans

It’s rare that you will cook a can of baked beans and eat them on their own. There’s not a huge amount of flavor and it won’t fill you up. 

However, you can take your baked beans and flesh them out with other ingredients to create smokey baked beans that pass as a proper meal. 

Now, you can learn how to make the best smoked baked beans at jerkyholic.com if you have a smoker. For those that don’t, you can try a slightly different method. Get some smokey bacon and sausages and cook them off separately. 

Fry off an onion and bell pepper in a pan before adding in the beans. Add smoked paprika and cumin with a dash of sugar or maple syrup for sweetness. Spoon in tomato paste and a bit of water to loosen things and create a nice tomato sauce. Let it bubble away until thickened before stirring in your cooked sausages and bacon - chop them up first. 

Top with some cheese - it can be smoked cheese if you want - and pop under the grill until the cheese melts. Spoon the smokey beans into bowls and eat with a spoon or a chunk of thick bread. A really great low-carb meal, but you can also get rid of the meat and serve this as a side at a BBQ!

Baked bean quesadillas

Quesadillas are extremely popular in Mexican cuisine and there are loads of varieties to try. You’ve probably made numerous quesadillas in your time, but have you ever tried one with baked beans? 

Immediately, the thought of baked beans sandwiched between two tortillas is not appealing in the slightest. But, Mexicans often use beans as a substitute for meat in vegetarian dishes. Typically, meat-free quesadillas will include pinto beans and other beans all mixed together. So, we can take the same idea but use baked beans. 

After all, baked beans are just haricot beans in tomato sauce. You just need to add some Mexican-inspired flavors to create the perfect quesadilla filling. Start with your base, which will be fried onions and peppers. Add in smoke paprika, cumin, ground coriander, and garlic powder to the pan, along with your beans. 

Give it a good mix-up before adding in a dash of chipotle and tomato paste. Cook until the sauce has thickened and is easy to spoon/spread onto a tortilla. You could also mash the beans slightly to give them a refried bean texture. 

Add the mixture to one tortilla before topping it with cheese and adding the second tortilla on top. Either fry in a pan or put under the grill, flipping over to cook both sites until browned and crispy. 

Just like that, you have a tasty quesadilla that’s great for kids and packed full of nutrients. 

Baked beans deserve some love and attention because they’re versatile and healthy. Try to get ones with reduced salt - if you can’t, don’t add salt when cooking these recipes as there will be plenty in the beans already!