Easy 2 Ingredient ‘Faux’ Baked Beans Recipe

There’s nothing quite like a tin of baked beans to make a quick and easy meal! However, baked beans are not super-easy to find in Spanish supermarkets outside of the big cities and popular tourist areas. Get off the beaten track and you may find what we think of as traditional baked beans difficult to find.

However – it’s super easy to make what I think is a pretty good alternative using just two ingredients. Of course you can add more to this recipe to create more complex flavours – therefore if you are just here for a visit and have limited cooking equipment and ingredients, this is a great place to start from.

This is a two ingredient dish which is made in a single saucepan on the stove top. Doesn’t get much easier than that 🙂

The Two Ingredients You Need for Faux Baked Beans

The two ingredients you need are a tin of white beans (Alubias cocidas) and a pack of tomate frito. You will find these readily available – even in the smallest of supermarkets. If you are unfamiliar with tomate frito – it is quite unlike anything else (it is most certainly not like ketchup – there are no added sugars or other ingredients in frito!) and is a rich tomato sauce which can be used in a variety of dishes. Read more about it here – What is tomate frito?

White Beans

You will find these in the legumbres section of the supermarket, which is likely to be close to things like pasta and rice. You are looking for a 400g jar like this:

Tomate Frito

Tomate frito is sold in cartons (Tetrapaks), jars and tins. Pick whatever suits you, you’re looking for around 390g, however a few grams here or there won’t make a big difference. This is what you are looking for:

Additional Seasoning

We’ve purposely kept additional seasoning to a minimum as having a range of different ingredients in your self catering holiday rental is propabably going to be unlikely! If, however, you do have additional seasoning to hand, such as vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, feel free to add what you need to create a dish that tickles your tastebuds 🙂

Easy Faux Baked Beans

What's almost as easy as opening a tin of baked beans? Making your own using just two ingredients! If you are staying in self catering accommodation in Spain and can't find baked beans in the shops – here's a quick-to-make alternative!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 3

Equipment

• 1 Saucepan

Ingredients

  

• 1 jar white beans (alubias cocidas) Find jars of beans in the legumes section of supermarkets.
• 1 carton tomate frito Look for cartons around 390g

Instructions

 

• Drain the white beans and add them with the tomate frito to the pan
• Heat over a low heat until the bean and frito mix is heated through. Don't over cook as the beans will go mushy
• Serve over baked potatoes, on toast, with tortilla de patata etc. Top with grated cheese or vegan equivalent for added richness

Video

Notes

This is the base for a very basic baked bean substitute and is specifically for people staying in self catering accommodation without access to lots of cooking equipment and extensive ingredients. 

However, it’s very easy to add to this recipe if you have other ingredients to hand. Add a teaspoon of Pimentón de la Vera to add a warm smoky flavour. A dash of vinegar will balance the sweetness of the tomate frito, but it’s best to do this to taste.

Keyword one pan, quick, stove top, one pan, stove top, vegan