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Upgrade to grownup with Posh Beans on Toast. This elegant remake of a British cornerstone takes plump and buttery white beans, simmers them to softness in a blistered cherry tomato and balsamic sauce, piles them on slabs of sourdough saturated in butter, and finishes with a snowfall of salty Parmesan cheese. And ready in the same time as its tinned twin.
I’m all about butter beans recipes right now- their versatility is mind-blowing! One understated bean can be a hearty basil pesto and crispy prosciutto stew, or a wintry white bean and sausage soup, or a cool, creamy, hummus-style bean dip. I know, right?? Who else is stocking up?
The love affair with baked beans on toast is almost exclusively British and rooted in nostalgia. As an inexpensive, highly convenient dish, it’s no wonder that for 100 years children in Britain have grown up eating them once a week.
And then, as a source of familiar comfort, these kids left home, becoming young adults themselves, taking the meal with them. It became a staple for survival. After all, it’s budget-friendly and fuss-free meal if you’ve never cooked for yourself before.
Then, in turn, as adults they served it to their children and the cycle continued.
My point is that baked beans on toast are as quintessentially British as the cup of tea or fish and chips. And on this culinary category of British citizenship, I have been failing. I have to admit it, I don’t like tinned baked beans. Please don’t tell the UK Home Office!
I realised in order to maintain my untarnished status as a member of the UK population, I needed to make a (palatable) amends to this shortcoming. So, having brought together a few sophisticated ingredients to reinvent the original, I can now claim to be a lover of (posh) beans on toast. Phew!
Posh beans on toast
Of course, I had come across baked beans before I came to the UK. In North America they are available, but they’re associated more with barbecues and picnics, or served as a side dish with pork. Never on toast, and almost certainly never at breakfast!
Personally, I cannot see their appeal. If you’re not familiar, the canned variety of baked beans are a lurid orange, swamped in a coagulated, overly sweet sauce and the abused haricot bean rendered virtually tasteless.
By contrast, Posh Beans makes use of soft-centred and richly nutty butter beans. The cherry tomato sauce is sweet with burst, sun-ripe tomatoes and coats the beans delicately in a slick of olive oil-rich jus. I’ve added briny capers for an uplift, and balsamic vinegar which brings a welcome acidity and a fruity note.
Spoon the just-cooked beans on heavily buttered, thick cut toast and that’s my version.
To be clear, I am not trying to cancel an old classic, I’m just offering this recipe as a homemade alternative which is almost as simple to put together, just as quick, and a lot more nutritious!
I hope you’ll make room for it on your menu- maybe not once a week, but at least once in a while!
Recipe tips and notes
- A slab of sturdy bread, like a slice of sourdough, is the perfect plinth for these saucy, homemade beans on toast.
- I think plump butter beans are best for this recipe, but of course, try it with your preferred bean too.
- Whichever legume you settle on, make sure they are high quality. The recipe is simple, so the ingredients need to be standout.
- The key factor here is ripe and juicy tomatoes- the riper, the sweeter, and this is what forms the base of the sauce.
- Wait until the tomatoes have blistered and burst in the pan before adding the next ingredient.
- Not keen on capers? Try green olives instead to bring the brine factor.
- I’ve tried this recipe with both Parmesan, which is sharp and melts seamlessly into the sauce, and feta, which is chunky and obvious. Each one offers a different experience. Try both!
Serving suggestions
The beauty of beans on toast, posh or common, lies in its simplicity. A meal in its own right, it doesn’t need to be bolstered with additional extras. It’s beans. On buttery toast.
OK, I’ll give a green salad if you really, really must.
However, if you’re looking to literally, make a meal of this butter bean recipe, see butter beans in balsamic cherry tomato sauce for inspiration.
Storage and leftovers
They won’t keep quite as long as their canned cousins, but posh beans on toast can be kept in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
More breakfast recipes to try
Posh Beans on Toast
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
For the beans
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 120g / 4oz ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 200g / 7oz canned butter beans, drained
- Salt to taste
For the toast
- 2 thick slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese, grated
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the beans first. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook them over medium high heat until they blister, and start to release juice, then season with salt and add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Now bring the capers into the pan together with the splash of the balsamic vinegar and cook for a minute. Add the drained butter beans and lower the hear, cook the beans until they are warmed through and coated in the sauce. Add more salt if needed.
- Butter the bread on both sides and toast in a frying pan until golden. Alternatively you can use a toaster and spread the butter on the toast afterwards.
- Top with with the bean mixture and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
