We enjoy beans and other legumes at my home regularly several times a week and this is my favorite way to make the most delicious beans on toast. Soft and tasty Borlotti beans in a tomato and herb sauce, served on crusty sourdough toast and topped with Parmesan cheese are a fancier take on them though!
And still they are so simple to make! It's almost as easy as reheating a can of beans in a tomato sauce. You can keep these for a trip under the tent on your camping trip, where they have their place of honor, but at home, make something more delicious and healthy!
How to season beans in tomato sauce?
The beans and tomato sauce don't have much taste on their own so they really need a proper seasoning! That's why the choice of flavoring is especially important, but fortunately they are good with almost anything. So whatever spices, herbs, or other flavoring sauces you can think of, it will be good... Seriously!
In general, tomato sauces benefit from two things - vinegar and sugar. From all the sweeteners I know, dark cane sugar is the best choice. It adds the desired sweetness to the sauce that canned tomatoes lack but does not overpower, unlike white sugar. Another factor is to add freshness to the tomato sauce! And this time vinegar will come in handy. Wine vinegar, either red or white, or balsamic vinegar are excellent. Balsamic vinegar can also give the sauce a nice darker color.
You can flavor the sauce in a simple way with an Italian flair, like I use in this recipe. So garlic, rosemary and a mixture of spices is what you need. Or you can try something else to your taste so the sauce can always taste different!
My 5 favorite ways to season beans in tomato sauce:
- with caramelized onions - first fry 1 sliced onion (yellow or red) in oil, add a pinch of sugar and 1 bay leaf and fry for 10-15 minutes until caramelized, then add minced garlic, a pinch of thyme and continue to follow the recipe. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf!
- season with spices - add 1 finely chopped shallot to the garlic sauce and stir in 1 tsp of yellow curry powder mixture and stir until fragrant, then continue to follow the recipe
- with bacon - fry the diced bacon in a pan with a touch of olive oil, then add the minced garlic and continue to follow the recipe
- with BBQ sauce – rajčata z plechovky z půlky doplňte dobrou BBQ omáčkou (vyzkoušejte třeba mou oblíbenou domácí BBQ omáčku, která je hotová za 15 minut!)
- with ground paprika - add an extra clove of garlic to the mixture, then add 1 tsp of sweet or smoked ground paprika and a splash of Worcestershire sauce before adding the 1/2 a can of tomatoes
What kind of beans to use for these amazing beans on toast?
Today, it is easy to find a wide variety of beans in great quality. But my favorite beans for this purpose are the Borlotti beans, which have a delicate flavor. For the best result, use small to medium sized beans like Pinto, Red Kidney, various types of small white beans, Navy beans or any combination of these are excellent.
The quickest way is to use canned beans , and you can also buy various interesting mixes in cans, for example with chickpeas. Always be sure to rinse canned beans very well, this will help to reduce the bloating effect.
Looking for more inspiration for meatless cooking?
What bread to use for toast?
And this is a very important thing! The better the quality of the ingredients, the better the food. That's why the choice of bread really matters and can elevate this simple meal to a truly gourmet experience.
For myself, I can only think of a good sourdough wheat bread with large holes, cut into thick slices. This bread toasts well and has the ideal ratio of crispy edges and soft center.
However, if you don't have access to this type of bread, a good quality sandwich bread or other wheat bread will also serve well. However, I recommend reaching for a type of bread that has a majority of wheat flour, as it toasts better and goes really well with beans.
Try one of my simple recipes! These are all step by step recipes, so you can be sure you're doing it right every step of the way! For my amazing beans on toast, I used the best Wheat and rye sourdough bread (no-knead and easy) baked in a pot.
If you're an excited sourdough beginner, try my tried-and-true beginner's bread - the Seeded bread. This bread is baked in a loaf tin so it comes out absolutely perfect every time.
Don't have the confidence to bake bread or don't have an oven? Heat up the pan and toast some soft sourdough tortillas, or these easy sourdough English muffins (recipe coming soon on the blog). Then simply wrap the bean mixture in the tortillas and enjoy!
How to make my amazing beans on toast?
First, rinse the canned beans and prepare the herbs. On a chopping board, finely chop the fresh rosemary and garlic clove together with ½ tsp salt.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped rosemary, garlic and salt, stir for about a minute. Stir frequently and turn the heat down to a lower heat so the garlic doesn't burn.
Then add 200 g of chopped canned tomatoes to the pan and heat for 3-5 min until bubbly. You can also add BBQ spices and a pinch of pepper to your taste.
Add the drained beans, 1 tsp of wine vinegar and 0.5 tsp of sugar to the pan and let it heat for another 3-5 minutes. Until the beans soak up the flavor of the sauce. Canned beans only need a few minutes, but for cooked dry beans this time can stretch to half an hour.
In the meantime, toast the thick slices of bread either in a toaster or in a frying pan. Place the toasts on a plate, layer the bean mixture on top and top it with grated cheese. I love Parmesan cheese for this purpose.
How to store my amazing beans on toast?
You can easily batch make beans in tomato sauce and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, you only need to cook the beans for the minimum time, so they don't boil over and turn mushy. Always prepare your toast fresh!
TIPS:
If you want to cook dried beans, first soak them in water with a spoon of apple cider vinegar for about 8 hours or more. Then drain them and boil them in clean water until tender. Then use it in a recipe. Home-cooked beans will need more time to take on the flavor of the sauce.
Unlike canned tomatoes, they are not covered in a salt brine, which adds to their flavor. Therefore, home-cooked beans need to simmer longer in the sauce. Don't be afraid to stretch this step for half an hour. This will result in tastier beans, as they will have plenty of time to soak the sauce.
Recipe
Recipe for 2 servings
Amazing beans on toast
Ingredients:
- 400 g can of beans (240 g of the solid part, or 240 g cooked dry beans)
- 1/2 a can of chopped tomatoes, around 200 g
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp of fresh rosemary or a pinch of dried
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp white or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp of dark cane sugar
- 0,5 ČL BBQ koření, nemusí být
- 2 thick slices of a good wheat bread
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated cheese
Instructions:
- Rinse the canned beans. On a chopping board, finely chop the fresh rosemary and garlic clove together with ½ tsp salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped rosemary, garlic and salt, stir frequently for about a minute.
- Add 200 g of chopped canned tomatoes and spices to the pan and heat for 3-5 min until bubbly.
- Add the drained beans, 1 tsp of wine vinegar and 0.5 tsp of sugar to the pan and let it heat for another 3-5 minutes. Until the beans soak up the flavor of the sauce.
- In the meantime, toast the thick slices of bread either in a toaster or in a frying pan.
- Place the toasts on a plate, layer the bean mixture on top and top it with grated cheese.
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