If you love cozy, comforting meals that come together quickly, this Baked Beans for One recipe is a little gem you’ll want to keep close. Made with simple pantry ingredients and just the right balance of sweet, tangy, and savoury flavours, these homemade baked beans are perfect for anyone cooking for themselves or looking to enjoy a small, satisfying dish without leftovers.
They’re easy, hearty, and full of that classic baked‑bean goodness — ideal for busy days, simple suppers, or whenever you’re craving something warm and nostalgic.
- 1 tsp olive oil, plus more to grease the baking dish
- 1 rasher of streaky bacon
- 1/2 cup (80g) chopped onion
- 1 clove, garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 (15.5oz/439.4g) Cannellini, Great Northern, or Haricot beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS molasses
- 1/2 TBS cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
Cannellini or Great Northern Beans — These are the recommended beans for the best texture and mild flavour. Navy or kidney beans also work well if that’s what you have on hand. I used a can of Great Northern Beans. Canned Haricot Beans, if you can get them, would be my first choice as generally speaking they are the beans used to traditionally make baked beans.
Bacon — Adds smoky depth and richness to the sauce. If you’re making a vegetarian version, simply leave it out and add a pinch of smoked paprika to mimic that flavour. You can also use Real Bacon Bits if you do not have bacon. I would use about 1/4 cup in that case.
Olive Oil — Used to sauté the onions and garlic. Canola or avocado oil are perfectly fine substitutes. I never use Canola oil these days. I used Avocado oil.
Onions & Garlic — These form the flavour base of the sauce. If you don’t have fresh, you can use 1/8 teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder. I use the refrigerated mince garlic as I find that I cannot use up a whole head of garlic before it dries up.
Tomato Ketchup — Provides sweetness and tang. Tomato sauce or paste can be used instead, but you may need to adjust other seasonings to taste. Ketchup is a bit sweeter than either one of those.
Apple Cider Vinegar — Balances the sweetness with a gentle tartness. White vinegar or lemon juice work as substitutes. Traditionally, however, Apple Cider Vinegar has always been used in baked beans.
Molasses — The key to that deep, classic baked-bean flavour. You can use brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup instead, but the flavour will change. In the U.K. you can use dark treacle.
Brown Sugar — Adds sweetness and helps balance the vinegar. Honey or maple syrup can be used in its place. In the U.K. muscovado sugar would be ideal.
Dry Mustard Powder — Adds gentle heat and sharpness. Prepared mustard works if you don’t have dry mustard. I would use Dijon in that case.
Worcestershire Sauce — Adds savoury depth. Soy sauce or tamari are good substitutes. Coconut aminos would also work.
Curry Powder — Just a small amount adds warmth without making the dish taste like curry. You can leave it out or swap it for chili powder. I found that it added a lovely bit of Unami. I quite liked it.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 5 inch baking dish with some olive oil. (Alternately you can butter it with butter, or even spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. I used spray avocado oil.)
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. (Make sure you use a good quality bacon.) Remove to drain on some paper toweling. (Important to help prevent your beans from being too greasy and cuts down on the fat in the recipe.)
- Add the onions to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or so without browning. Add the garlic and cook for a further half a minute. (Do not let either the onions or the garlic brown in this recipe.)
- Add the drained and rinsed tinned beans, ketchup, molasses. Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder and curry powder. (The curry powder is a unique addition, but it totally works. You can't really taste the curry but it gives the finished dish a bit of Unami.)
- Stir everything together well. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a couple of minutes. Crumble in the bacon and stir it in to combine. (You don't want to have big chunks of bacon, but neither do you want the bacon to be really small. Somewhere in-between is perfect.)
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and thickened. (Mine came out a bit dry but still very tasty. When I make them again I will double the sauce ingredients. Can you ever have too much sauce? I think not!)
- Serve hot.
Read through the recipe first so you know the flow and timing before you begin. This also helps to prevent you from leaving anything out. I also like to gather all of my ingredients together before I begin.
Rinse and drain your canned beans well — this removes excess sodium and keeps the sauce from becoming too salty. Drain them really well after rinsing.
Don’t rush the onions and garlic. Let them cook until low and slow without browning; those extra minutes add big flavour to the final dish.
Taste the sauce before baking and adjust to your liking. You can add a touch more brown sugar for sweetness or a splash of apple cider vinegar for extra tang. A splash of hot sauce might also be nice. I would recommend Green Tabasco.
Mind your baking dish size. A 5×5‑inch dish is ideal. Larger dishes cook faster (reduce bake time by 10 minutes), and smaller dishes cook slower (increase by 10 minutes). I used a dish that was approximately 4 inches by 6 inches and it was perfect.
Watch your stovetop heat. If the sauce cooks too quickly or your saucepan is larger than recommended, the beans can dry out. Lower the heat or add a splash of water or broth if needed. My beans absorbed a lot of the sauce in the oven so next time I will double the sauce ingredients.
Baked Beans for One
Using a can of cooked beans and a homemade sauce, this small batch recipe is simple to make, delicious and easily customizable!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil, plus more to grease the baking dish
- 1 rasher of streaky bacon
- 1/2 cup (80g) chopped onion
- 1 clove, garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 (15.5oz/439.4g) Cannellini, Great Northern, or Haricot beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS molasses
- 1/2 TBS cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 5 inch baking dish with some olive oil.
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to drain on some paper toweling.
- Add the onions to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or so without browning. Add the garlic and cook for a further half a minute.
- Add the drained and rinsed tinned beans, ketchup, molasses. Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder and curry powder.
- Stir everything together well. Reduce heat to low and simmer for a couple of minutes. Crumble in the bacon and stir it in to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and thickened.
- Serve hot.
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