There’s something deeply satisfying about a pot of baked beans slowly bubbling away on the stove. The kind of meal that fills the house with excitement!
These vegetarian Heinz-style baked beans are rich, slightly sweet, tangy, and deeply comforting, and definitely outshines any beans found in a can! And yes… another bonus, they pair perfectly with fresh sourdough.

Why Make Them From Scratch?

• They only cost about .50 cents per jar
• They don’t taste like a tin can
• You control the sweetness and seasoning
• The flavour is deeper and more layered
• No mystery ingredients

Ingredients
Beans:
– 4 cups dry navy beans (or great northern beans)
Sauce:
– 3 cups vegetable broth or water
– 2 ½ cups organic passata
– ½ cup organic ketchup
– ½ cup packed brown sugar
– 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– 1 tbsp dry mustard + ½ tsp yellow mustard
– 2 tsp onion powder
– 1 tsp garlic powder
– 3 tsp salt

Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Soak the beans
Rinse the dry beans thoroughly. Soak in cold water for 8–12 hours. Drain and rinse again.

2. Par-cook
Place soaked beans in a large pot, cover with fresh water, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 45–60 minutes until they just begin to soften. Drain.

3. Make the sauce
In a separate pot, combine broth, passata, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until slightly thickened and fragrant.

4. Combine
Add the par-cooked beans into the sauce and stir well until everything is coated in that rich, glossy mixture.

Slow Simmer Magic
Let the beans simmer low and slow so the flavours deepen and blend together. This is where the magic happens,  the sauce thickens, the beans soak it all in, and everything becomes richer with time.

Serving Ideas (Highly Recommended)

• On a thick slices of fresh sourdough with a generous smear of butter
• For breakfast with your eggs and has browns and toast

A Note on Home Canning (Optional)
If you plan to preserve these beans, they are a low-acid food and must be pressure canned safely using proper equipment and guidelines.
General safe processing:
Pack hot beans into sterilized jars, leaving 1 inch headspace – this recipe fills about 6 x 500 ml jars
Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, seal
Process in a pressure canner following tested preservation guidelines for safety and adjust altitude if needed

Once you’ve had homemade baked beans like this… the store-bought version just doesn’t quite hit the same anymore. I hope you enjoy this recipe!