Putting food items on toast seems to be a uniquely British thing, and we’ve already made one such recipe with mushrooms. Now we’ve decided to make our own version of beans on toast, which has come to be known as a delicious and cheap U.K. staple. We were inspired by this recipe from Bon Appétit, and we tweaked it a little to make it our own. Here, you get a slightly posher version by using white beans instead of baked beans and adding in some greens to make it at least kind of healthier, plus there’s some nice spices, olive oil, and white wine too. And this recipe isn’t just meat-free, it’s also vegan! This was our first time eating beans on toast, and we enjoyed it as a quick, light meal. We think you will too.
To make this, you’ll need:
- White wine
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- A package of spinach
- A 15.5-ounce can of white beans
- A thick, sturdy loaf of bread
First, slice two garlic cloves thinly and add them to a large cast iron pan along with 1/2 cup of wine, 1/4 cup of water, 2 teaspoons of oregano, a pinch of salt, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
Bring all of this to a boil and then add in some spinach – we went with half of our package, but you can add more to make this recipe greener. Place a cover over the pan and let the spinach wilt.
Then drain and rinse your beans and add them in along with 1/2 cup of olive oil. Cook everything for about 2 minutes.
Cut 6-8 thick slices from your loaf of bread …
… then push the beans and spinach aside and lightly fry each slice in the olive oil that’s still in your pan (you can pour more in if you need to).
Brown each slice on both sides, then set them on paper towels to cool.
And then you can pile your beans and greens on each piece of bread, and you’re done!
It’s pretty simple to make these beans on toast, but the spinach and wine and white beans really make this version kind of fancy. The garlic, spices, and olive oil definitely add in some great flavors as well. From start to finish it took less than half an hour to throw this together, and then we had a quick meal before heading out. So if you’re looking for something easy and tasty – and especially if you want a good vegan snack – try out this version of beans and toast.