Baked beans can be tastier when mixed with Worcestershire sauce, a simple ingredient that adds umami flavour, according to former professional chef and recipe developer Jenny Goycochea-Marker.
Why Worcestershire sauce works
Worcestershire sauce is a blend of flavour-rich ingredients including vinegar, onion, garlic, anchovies, tamarind, salt, and sugar. It adds tons of umami flavour and really dresses up canned baked beans, making them taste special, according to Goycochea-Marker, who shared her tips on her food blog So Much Food.
While she also likes to add sausages, bacon, and Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce is a must. The rich sauce contrasts with the acidity of tomatoes and the sweetness of brown sugar, two ingredients often found in baked beans.
How to use it
Jenny noted that you only need a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for two tins of baked beans. You can add more if you want a stronger flavour, but it's important to taste as you go.
For a fuller dish, she also shared a recipe for oven-baked beans. Ingredients include six bacon rashers, 227g of smoked sausage, half an onion, two tins of baked beans, half a cup of ketchup, one-third of a cup of vinegar-based hot sauce, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, two-thirds of a cup of dark brown sugar, and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Method and serving
To make the dish, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. In a large oven-proof pan over low heat, slowly cook the bacon until crispy, then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind. Add the sausages and cook until browned on both sides, then add the onion and sauté for two to three minutes until softening.
Add the canned beans, ketchup, hot sauce, one-third of a cup of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and the crispy bacon. Bring to a simmer and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat, top with the remaining brown sugar, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is caramelised and browned, then serve warm.
