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My Vegetable Baked Beans are hands down THE MOST delicious vegetarian baked beans! Made with a thick and hearty tomato sauce with added vegetables like carrots, celery and onion, along with other delicious additions. Truth be told, you could actually call these ‘healthy baked beans’.

A tomato vegetable sauce made with beans

These beans have very little sugar added (compared to regular baked bean recipes) and the ‘hidden’ vegetables in the tomato sauce is loaded with flavor, which help give the beans natural sweetness. Perfect if your kids like beans, as it’s a great way to hide vegetables in their food. Packed with protein and fiber, they wont even know they’re good for them!

This dish also works if you’re vegetarian or vegan. Or if you’re just looking to add more plant-based options to your meal plan, this baked bean recipe is ideal.

I actually developed this recipe while I was recipe testing a Heinz Copycat Baked Beans recipe but on one of my tests I found the sauce to be too thick in comparison. This recipe is the result of that happy accident and was just too good not to publish.

A spoonful of vegetable baked beans

Best type of beans to use for baked beans

These vegetable baked beans are made with navy beans (haricot if you’re in the U.K.)

Do dried beans have to be soaked?

No, but soaking does 2 things. It helps with cooking time (speeds it up by 25%). Many varieties of beans hold their shape better when soaked and are less likely to fall apart.  Soaking also helps remove some of the indigestible sugars.

Why did my beans split when soaking?

This happened to me when I added hot water once (I thought it would speed up the soaking process). It hydrated the beans quickly and caused them to split. It is best to start with cold water for soaking beans. In addition, cooking slower and lower will maintain the integrity of the beans and help prevent the skins from splitting.

Vegetable Baked Beans Additions/Substitutes

You can add more veggies if you like. The carrots, celery and onion are a must (it is known as the holy trinity in cooking, or a mire poix) so it is best to start with these and build from there. You could add zucchini (courgette), red bell pepper, sweet potato/yam, cauliflower, just to name a few. Just remember that if you add anything green like spinach, it will affect the color.

Can I used canned/tinned beans for baked beans?

You can, but they may fall apart after baking as they are already quite soft. Dried beans hold their shape and firmness better.

British baked beans served over toast on a white plate

How to serve vegetable baked beans

You can serve them as a side, serve on toast (like the Brits do, picture above) or stir in some pasta to make a meal. Trust me on this one, the pasta thing works! Use them as a side for steak, grilled ribs, chicken or fish. Plus, they’re delicious with sausages (like my Italian Sausage and Beans).

Ingredients for Vegetable Baked Beans:

  • Dried beans
  • Olive oil
  • Yellow onion
  • Celery
  • Carrot
  • Garlic
  • Fresh tomatoes
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce
Glass bowls filled with ingredients to make vegetable baked beans
Yield: 6

Vegetable Baked Beans

Baked beans in a tomato sauce served in an oval dish

Beans are baked in a thick and hearty tomato sauce with added vegetables like carrots, celery and onion along with other delicious additions.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups (450 grams) dried navy/haricot or great northern beans, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup (25 grams) 1 celery stalk, chopped small
  • 1 cup (128 grams) 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped small
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup (145 grams) fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 14 ounces (400 grams) crushed tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. To a large bowl, add the the beans and cover by 2 inches (6 cm) with cold water. Cover and allow to soak 8 hours at room temperature or overnight. After soaking, drain the beans.
  2. To a large saucepan add the beans and cover by 2 inches (6 cm) with water. Bring to a boil and lower to simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender. Stirring often. Add water as needed if the water goes below the beans.
  3. While the beans cook, add the oil to large, oven-proof pan over medium heat. When hot add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring often until softened.
  4. Add the garlic to the vegetables and stir, cook only for 1 minute don’t brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and Worcestershire sauce and stir well to combine with the vegetables.
  5. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add ¼ cup (60 ml) water and stir to mix well.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F/178°C.
  7. Blend the sauce by either using an immersion blender right in the pan, or transfer the liquid to a blender. Blend until smooth and return back to the pan (if using a blender). Adding more water as needed for the right consistency, you want it marinara/pasta sauce consistency.
  8. Add the cooked beans to the sauce and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick. Taste for seasoning.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 176Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 486mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 7gSugar 5gProtein 7g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Side dishes