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Easy Bulgarian Baked Beans Recipe – one of the easiest ways to make baked beans, with minimum ingredients, but wonderful flavor. This comfort dish is inspired by a Bulgarian recipe and perfect for the colder months of the year and holidays.
I’m sharing the vegetarian version of this Easy Bulgarian Baked Beans Recipe.
Keep in mind that you can add cooked meat like sausage, bacon, pork ribs or pancetta to it. Customize it to your taste!
Just a few basic and simple ingredients to make delicious comfort food, perfect for this time of the year and the holidays.
Comfort food, made simple.
What kind of beans to use to make baked beans?
For this Easy Bulgarian Baked Beans Recipe {Vegetarian} I used dry beans, that I soaked overnight and then boiled them. This step is important, to achieve tender, but not mushy and perfectly cooked baked beans.
How to make these easy Bulgarian baked beans?
Then you combine the drained beans with onions, spices, roasted red peppers and carrots. Add more water and some flour (to help the dish thicken) and finish cooking it in the oven.
I used my cast iron brasier, but any oven safe dish would work. This recipe is traditionally made in a clay pot, but I don’t currently own one. I broke mine!
This Bulgarian Baked Beans Recipe is one of the simplest Bulgarian dishes, requiring minimal prep work and resulting in outstanding flavors. Here are some more Bulgarian recipes, you may like : Phyllo {Filo} Swirls With Eggs And Feta, Red Pepper And Tomato Spread Lutenitsa Recipe and Cold Yogurt Cucumber Soup Tarator.
You can take a shortcut and use canned white beans. These do work in this recipe, but I prefer making it from scratch and almost always use dry beans. It is an extra step, that I honestly don’t mind.
Thinking of the holidays, I’ll be making these Easy Bulgarian Baked Beans for Christmas.
This is my grandmother’s recipe and even though I don’t make it very often, it is one of my favorite recipes, where beans are involved.
Easy Bulgarian Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry white beans, soaked in water for 8 hours or overnight
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 carrot, large, shredded
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 3 tbps tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried summer savory spice
- 2 tsp dried mint spice
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- water
- 3 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Soak dry beans in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse. Add cold fresh water, covering the beans with 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain the water. Rinse.
- While the beans are boiling, preheat oven to 350F. In a small pan of oven safe braiser or dutch oven, heat oil and add onions and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, dried mint, dried savory and paprika, stir to combine. Add beans. Add water to cover the beans.
- In a small bowl combine flour with 3 tbsp cold water. Mix to combine. Add flour mixture to the pot and stir to combine.
- Bake beans for 50-60 minutes or until the water is absorbed, test for doneness. If you prefer the beans extra soft, add more water and continue baking, checking on them, until the desired doneness is achieved.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This definitely looks like simple comfort food! What a yummy side dish, Mira! I love baked beans, so I can’t wait to try this version!
Beans are total comfort food for me and I’m loving this big delicious pot! I would love eating these in a tortilla!
These turned out so delicious!Not mushy and full of flavor!
When do you add the roasted bell peppers?
Before blending.