When I was growing up, canned baked beans were a thing in my house. My dad was obsessed. He still drives across the border to get a brand we can’t find in Canada! So I had to come up with a recipe that matches the taste he’s come to love. Besides, as an adult I’ve never ventured down the aisle to buy these things because they’re laced with corn syrup and pork. No thanks! A homemade version has been a long time coming, and you can go ahead and eat these on their own or with toast, but I thought they deserved an inspired breakfast tostada to let ’em really shine!
Ingredients
Prep ahead
- The Sour Cream
Baked beans
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion (about half an onion)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 cups cooked navy beans, or 2 cans (each 15 oz/425 g) navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup water
- 0.33 cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire
Collard Greens
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or vegetable oil
- 10 cups packed, stemmed, and finely chopped collard greens
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
How to Make It
- To make the baked beans, heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion for 3 minutes until just softened. Add the paprika, mustard powder, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute.
- Add the beans and the water and stir to combine. Add the remaining baked bean ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can cook the beans for slightly less or more time depending on how much liquid you like in your beans.
- Meanwhile, to make the collard greens, melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat. Sauté the greens with the garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper for about 10 minutes until soft, wilted, and dark green in color.
- Remove the collards from the pan and keep covered to stay warm while you crisp up the tortillas in the same pan. Lower the heat if the pan is too hot. Fry the tortillas in small batches in a bit of vegetable oil for 2 to 3 minutes each side until golden brown and crispy.
- Assemble the tostadas with 2 tortillas per tostada. Add the warm baked beans and collard greens, and top with the sour cream and chopped red onion.
- Refrigerate any leftover baked beans for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the beans for longer storage. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat through in a saucepan before serving.
