As children my sister and I would regularly ‘improve’ the tinned baked beans that we had for tea. Being brought up with Eastern European food with its garlic and spices, plain baked beans were to us…..well just….plain. Nowadays I start with even plainer beans and make a tomato sauce to put them in.

This is a bit of a store cupboard recipe, which means it’s quick to make.

Per person

A tin or jar of beans – I used a jar of butter beans, but use whichever you fancy –  haricot, pinto, flageolet or lentils also work

olive oil

half an onion – finely chopped

a clove of garlic – finely chopped

1 small or half a large green pepper – cut into short slices

a few wild mushrooms – chopped

150ml tomato Frito or passata

1/3 teaspoon marmite

2 tablespoons chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce

freshly ground black pepper

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow pan and add the chopped onions and garlic.

Fry for five minutes until translucent

Add the chopped peppers and fry another five minutes.

For the mushrooms, I had some fried ones left over from a couple of days ago that were already chopped and fried, so I added those with the tomato Frito. If you are adding uncooked mushrooms, do it now and fry for five minutes before adding the frito.

Add the tomato Frito and mix well.

Season with the marmite,  chilli sauce and black pepper.

leave to cook for another five minutes.

Add the drained beans, mix well and then leave to warm through on a very low heat.

Check the seasoning, I’m assuming that the beans and tomato Frito already are salted, so as well as the salt from the marmite that may well be enough.

Enjoy!