Inspired by my grandmother’s recipe, canned kidney beans are quickly simmered on the stovetop with cumin, tomato sauce and aromatic onion for a cozy side dish or even a simple dinner served with rice and greens.
This is one of those recipes that immediately transports me back to childhood in my grandmother’s kitchen. If I close my eyes, I can see my avo (which is Portuguese for grandmother) pulling out her very 1960s Sunbeam electric skillet – it literally sat on the counter and plugged in – and making these simmered kidney beans and the way the oil would glisten on top when they were ready.
They were saucy, cozy and incredibly comforting and I would gobble them up by the bowlful.
It’s the kind of recipe that will make you wonder why you don’t eat kidney beans all the freaking time. These vegan kidney beans are similar to a classic Portuguese baked beans but like, not baked, so they’re quicker. Oh, and no sausage…but you could add it!
But I promise: they’re still SO flavourful. I worked really hard on getting it just right and these earned my mom’s seal of approval. My avo never wrote any of her recipes down so I developed this one based on memory and taste alone.
You could totally eat these Portuguese-style kidney beans as a protein- and fibre-rich side dish but the way I eat them most often is served as a vegetarian main with white rice and a side of greens…sometimes roasted broccoli, sometimes my quick sauteed kale.
How to make this simplified version of Azorean-style kidney beans
As with most traditional recipes, the ingredients are humble which means technique matters if you’re gonna create something delicious. We’re talking just 5 ingredients that somehow end up tasting so rich and complex so let me show you how to rock it, okay?
The actual key to this recipe is getting the onions right. Seriously. You want to dice them as finely as possible and ensure they’re cooked until they’re tender and silky.
Want more healthy, flavourful plant-based recipes from a dietitian who LOVES to eat? Grab a copy of my latest cookbook Plant Magic!
Nutrition note: Each main dish serving (1/4 of this recipe) has about 19g protein and 15g fiber.
Want more delicious kidney bean recipes???
- 15 Minute Herby Bean Salad
- Mashed Kidney Bean and Oat Burger Patties
So far, I’ve just got two others, ha ha…but more are coming if you want ’em!
Simple + Healthy Portuguese-style Kidney Beans
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 small-medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 14 ounce cans kidney beans rinsed and drained, or 4 ½ cups cooked kidney beans
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt cut in half if using salted beans
- 1 cup passata sauce or just canned, plain tomato sauce
- ½ cup water or more as needed
Optional
- 2 links your favourite sausages something like the Field Roast garlic + fennel
Instructions
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Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Turn heat down just slightly and add onion. Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onion is silky, tender and translucent.
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Cook onions longer if need be (larger the onion is, the more cooking they need) as it’s essential they’re no longer crunchy. BUT you don’t want them brown, so turn heat down as needed if browning. When I cook in stainless, I need to cook at medium low but in a nonstick, I cook just below medium.
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Add cumin, salt and garlic and stir constantly for one minute.
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Add beans, tomato sauce and water. Stir, place lid on the skillet and cook for 10 minutes.
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When you lift the lid, the sauce should have darkened a bit with spots of the oil glistening on top. Now, simmer them uncovered, stirring occasionally, until you have the desired level of sauciness. I find this is usually 3-4 minutes but it could take up to 10. If yours looks dry, go ahead and add a bit more water as needed and then simmer until it looks saucy but not runny.
If you want to add sausages, do this!
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My grandmother would simmer her sausages in the beans but I don’t think that vegan ones hold up as nicely this way. What I would do is slice the sausages into rounds and pan fry them first and set aside while you prepare the recipe. Then, just stir them into the kidney beans at the end of cooking.
Notes
A note about authenticity: I really want to start sharing more veganized Portuguese-style recipes but I have to admit, I always feel a bit awkward doing so because the reality is, my understanding of Portuguese food is mostly the foods that I grew up with…and whatever I’ve eaten on vacation in Portugal or found in my Portuguese cookbooks.
Which of course means that my recipes are really just gonna represent a small slice of the cuisine itself. Then there’s the vegan thing, and I’m sure folks are gonna be like, well this isn’t authentic. But these recipes represent my Azorean family, who come from Flores, and the recipes they brought with them to Canada…so be nice ha ha.
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