Quick & Easy

Chilli beans with tomato sauce

For a hearty and delicious vegetarian meal.
CHILLI BEANS WITH TOMATO SAUCE
6
7 cups
1H 20M

As a hearty homemade breakfast or a simple weeknight meal, these delicious beans with a chilli kick really hit the spot. If chilli is not your thing (or others in your family) then you can add to taste and try one of our variations – pumpkin and cheese, beans with baked eggs, beans with garlic bread or barbecue beans.

Looking for a baked bean recipe instead?

Ingredients

Method

Chilli beans with tomato sauce

1.Place beans in a large bowl with enough cold water to cover; stand overnight. Drain; rinse well. Place beans in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low-medium; simmer for 30 minutes or until almost tender.
2.Drain. Heat oil in same dried pan over medium heat; cook onion, garlic and chilli, stirring, for 7 minutes or until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and stock; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.
3.Add beans; simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid; simmer for 10 minutes or until beans are tender and sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste.

Barbecue beans

4.Make Real Chilli Beans, adding 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce and 1 tablespoon dijon mustard to the onion with the garlic and chilli. Cook onion mixture for a further 2 minutes before continuing as directed in the recipe.

Beans and baked eggs

5.Make Real Chilli beans (left). Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Place hot beans in a shallow 2 litre (8-cup) ovenproof dish. With the back of a spoon, make six indents in the beans, crack eggs into hollows. Bake for 10 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve topped with ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves.

Beans and garlic bread

6.Make Real Chilli Beans (left). Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Place hot beans in a shallow 2 litre (8-cup) ovenproof dish. Cut a 520g (1lb) day-old garlic sourdough bread into thin slices. Generously spray slices with garlic-infused olive oil spray. Arrange slices on beans, slightly overlapping. Bake on top oven shelf for 15 minutes or until bread is golden

Pumpkin and cheese

7.Make Real Chilli Beans. Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Cut 500g kent pumpkin into wedges, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until softened. Place hot beans, then pumpkin in a shallow 2 litre (8-cup) ovenproof dish; top with ¾ cup grated vegetarian cheddar. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve with toasted sourdough or cornbread. While we’ve used cannellini beans here, you can use any canned white beans you like, such as great northern, navy or haricot. Use a plain (unflavoured) tomato-based sauce suitable for serving over pasta.

These sauces can be bought in cans and jars and are often labelled “sugo” or “passata”. to freeze Complete the recipe to the end of step 1. Pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm (1 inch) space to allow for expansion. Seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave on medium power (50%) until heated through.

Note

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