How To Make Baked Bean Pie – Classic Meatless Main Dish

  

Meatless Monday today with a quick, easy and delicious pie that the whole family is sure to love.  Baked Bean Pie!  A fabulous pie using store cupboard ingredients that goes together very quickly and easily and which uses very simple ordinary ingredients. 

If you have tins of baked beans in the cupboard you are never far from having a really delicious meal to hand, even if you are only heating them up and spooning them over baked potatoes.

Beans and cheese go really well together, and those flavors are really highlighted in this simple and easy to make recipe! Soft onions, baked beans, creamy rich melty cheese, beneath a crisp buttery puff pastry lid . . . simple and incredibly delicious.

 

In a day of rising grocery costs, it also makes for a very tasty and economical meal. The ingredients I have given are for a small batch for a smaller family, but everything can very easily be doubled to serve more people. 

You can also very easily juju it up by adding other bits and bobs such as chopped peppers, leftover cooked ham and bacon, etc.

Cheesy baked beans, flaky pastry, what's not to love about this quick, easy and cheap as chips dinner!!!  Prepare to fall in love!

NOTE - I have adapted the recipe from a recipe print out that I had in my Big Blue Binder. I think it may have come from Sainsbury's but in looking online I found it in a few different spots and attributed to a number of various people. Your guess is as good as mine as to who the original source is!  I cut everything in half to make a smaller sized pie.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

BAKED BEAN PIE

This truly is a store-cupboard favorite, using only a few simple ingredients. You may well have everything you need to make this dish tonight!

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• seasoning as required
• 1 (14oz/400g) tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
• a splash of Tabasco sauce
• 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water
• 1 sheet of ready roll puff pastry

 

I used salted butter. It is the only kind of butter that I keep in the house. I did not use any seasoning in this recipe.  I felt that the baked beans and the cheese were salty enough without adding any additional salt. I also felt that the Tabasco sauce and the Worcestershire sauce added any heat and additional flavor that might be needed without adding pepper.

I used Heinz beans as that is the most popular brand of beans found in the U.K.

Do grate your own cheddar if you can. They add things like cellulose (wood fiber) to pre-grated cheeses to help them flow easier. I don't want to be eating that.

I used a white cheddar.

My egg yolk was from a large egg.

I used 1/2 package, one sheet, of all butter puff pastry, thawed.

 

HOW TO MAKE BAKED BEAN PIE

This is really simple and takes minimal effort.

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until softened for about 10 minutes, without coloring. Leave to cool. (You don't want the onions to be hot when you add them to the pie as this would heat up the puff pastry precipitously as well as melting the cheese.)
2. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
3. Empty the tin of beans into a bowl. Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce and mix well together. Pour this into the bottom of an 8-inch pie tin. (DO be generous with the Tabasco sauce and the Worcestershire sauce, and use a good brand of each. Using Green Tabasco would add a different flavor if you so choose to do so. I like Green Tabasco Sauce.)
4. Scatter half of the cheese over top of the beans. Scatter all of the onions over the cheese. Scatter the remaining cheese over top. (You could mix the two together if you wanted to and just add them in one layer. I prefer to layer them in separately.)
5. Cut a pastry lid large enough to cover the pie dish out of the puff pastry. You can also cut out some decorations with the scraps if you wish. (Work with really cold puff pastry so that it doesn't stretch while you are cutting and shaping it. I did cut out some oak leaves and acorns, but they didn't really show up well.)
6. Brush some beaten egg on the rim of the pie dish and place the puff pastry lid on top, pressing it to adhere all around the edges with the tines of a fork. Decorate as you wish and then brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. (I also pricked the top with a fork.)
7. Make a vent in the center. (I forgot to do this. True confessions here.)
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
9. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before spooning out to serve. Cooked greens work very well with this dish. (For greens you can use cabbage, or leafy greens, sprouts, etc. I miss sprout tops.)

  

HINTS & TIPS

FOR A BETTER BAKED BEAN PIE

• I placed my filled pie on a baking sheet for ease of taking it in and out of the oven.
• Use quality ingredients.  A brand of baked bean that you enjoy. A quality puff pastry. Good cheese.
• Be generous with the Tabasco and the Worcestershire sauce. They really juju things up in the most delicious way.
• Don't skip the egg wash. It really gives the pie a lovely golden finish.
• Do let things settle before digging in.  Nobody wants a burnt tongue.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes you can.  Simply put the pie together as per the recipe and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. You may need a few minutes extra time for everything to heat up properly, but it will come out great.

DO I NEED TO USE PUFF PASTRY?

Not at all. Feel free to use your favorite short crust pastry to cover the pie. It will give you a firmer and less flaky finish but will still be delicious.

CAN I ADD MEAT TO THE PIE?

Certainly. Cooked little sausage or meat balls or cut up frankfurters or ham will work very well, as will crumbled cooked bacon.

HOW CAN I STORE ANY LEFTOVERS?

Cool completely and then store, covered, in the refrigerator.  It will keep well for up to three days. Reheat in a moderate oven (350*F/180*C) covered with foil until heated through, removing the foil for the last five minutes or so to crisp up the pastry.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

You can freeze the whole pie or portions of it as desired. Wrap tightly and freeze. It will keep for up to three months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat as per above.

 

 

A FEW OTHER DELICIOUS WAYS

TO USE AND ENJOY

 A TIN OF BAKED BEAND

Many of us always have a tin or two of baked beans in the larder. When you have a tin of baked beans on hand, you always have the makings of a delicious meal! Here are a few other ways to use and enjoy them!

BAKED BEAN SOUP - This is a lovely hearty soup which goes wonderfully with crackers or crusty bread. I promise you it does not taste like baked beans.  Really. It is like a thick tomato and bean soup, with just a bit of zip from the chili powder which is used to season it.  There is also celery and a bit of onion and some tinned tomatoes.  Water.  No need for stock, and if you have leftover baked beans so much the better!

BACON & POTATO HASH WITH CHEESY BEANS -A simply seasoned potato hash, with smoky bacon is served along side some lightly spiced baked bean which have been enriched by the addition of some rich and tangy delicious cheese. Altogether a fabulous combination and very simple to make. 

  

Pin this recipe to your Cooking for Two, Small Batch, Baked Bean, Vegetarian, Store Cupboard Meals or Main Dish boards on Pinterest and remember to FOLLOW ME on Pinterest, Facebook, or Instagram! 

That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you! 

Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Baked Bean Pie

Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Quite simply delicious. The humble baked bean never tasted better.

Ingredients

• 1 TBS butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• seasoning as required
• 1 (14oz/400g) tin of baked beans in tomato sauce
• a splash of Tabasco sauce
• 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) grated strong cheddar cheese
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water
• 1 sheet of ready roll puff pastry

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fry until softened for about 10 minutes, without coloring. Leave to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
3. Empty the tin of beans into a bowl. Add the tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce and mix well together. Pour this into the bottom of an 8-inch pie tin.
4. Scatter half of the cheese over top of the beans. Scatter all of the onions over the cheese. Scatter the remaining cheese over top.
5. Cut a pastry lid large enough to cover the pie dish out of the puff pastry. You can also cut out some decorations with the scraps if you wish.
6. Brush some beaten egg on the rim of the pie dish and place the puff pastry lid on top, pressing it to adhere all around the edges with the tines of a fork. Decorate as you wish and then brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.
7. Make a vent in the center.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
9. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before spooning out to serve. Cooked greens work very well with this dish.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #TheEnglishKitchen

 

This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

 Thanks for visiting! Do come again!! 

If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.