Former professional chef Jenny Goycochea-Marker has shared her top tips for making tinned baked beans taste "really special", insisting that Worcestershire sauce is an absolute must. She said the sauce adds "tons of umami flavour" and "really dresses up canned baked beans."
Why Worcestershire sauce works
Worcestershire sauce contains a rich blend of vinegar, onion, garlic, anchovies, tamarind, salt, and sugar, which complement the sharpness of tomatoes and caramel notes of brown sugar typically found in baked beans. Jenny recommends adding just a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for two tins of beans, but suggests adjusting to taste.
Full recipe for dressed-up baked beans
Jenny also suggests adding sausages, bacon, and Dijon mustard to elevate the dish. Her recipe, which serves eight to ten, includes six rashers of chopped bacon, 227g smoked sausage cut into rounds, half an onion, two tins of baked beans, half a cup of tomato ketchup, one-third cup vinegar-based hot sauce, two tablespoons Dijon mustard, two-thirds cup dark brown sugar, and one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
To make it, heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Fry the bacon in a large ovenproof frying pan until crispy, then remove it with a slotted spoon, keeping the fat in the pan. Brown the sausages in the same pan over medium heat, then add the onion and cook for two to three minutes until softened. Stir in the beans, ketchup, hot sauce, one-third cup of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and crispy bacon. Simmer gently for five minutes, then scatter the remaining brown sugar on top and bake for 40 minutes until golden and caramelised. Serve hot.
