This easy tasty alternative baked bean recipe is full of flavour, lower in sugar and higher in vegetables than the shop-bought varieties. If you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers (WW), Noom or any other weight loss plan you can usually count this as free or easily within your allowances.

Summary of Contents (Quick jump links)

How to enjoy the smoky beans

This smoky baked beans casserole is great for any meal including breakfast. The high protein of the beans helps keep you full and it is tasty too.

Due to it being made from scratch rather than using shop-bought baked beans it has less salt and sugar than standard baked beans and is so much tastier (in my opinion!).

I have had it with eggs and mushrooms as a bit of a brunch, with homemade chips or just on its own. You can prepare it all in literally 5-10 minutes and leave the slow cooker to do the rest.

Giving the beans more of a kick

If when you serve these smoky baked beans you prefer it to have a bit more of a kick just sprinkle a pinch of cayenne pepper on top.

Alternatively, you could add more to the recipe. This way however the beans have a little kick but not too much for most children, I guess it depends on who you are making it for!

Why you need vegetables to lose weight

Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, don’t they? They are healthy and filling for very few calories!

The best vegetables are those with low-calorie density.

This means if you eat 100g of spinach, for example, it is just 23 calories and 100g of crisps, which would be just as filling, is around 536 calories!

Find more tips about the best vegetables for weight loss.

Budget shopping tips

I try to ensure all of the recipes, including these smoky baked beans I make are accessible to everyone. By this, I mean that they do not use obscure hard-to-find ingredients.

I also believe that recipes should use as few ingredients as possible and avoid expensive ingredients. We would all much rather spend money on holidays than on expensive ingredients wouldn’t we?

Buying herbs and spices in bulk is something I really recommend. It can save a lot of money in the long term but also mean you never run out! I find putting them on Amazon subscribe and save helps too!

Shopping around to see which shops have offers on your usual products can make a big difference to your weekly shopping bill.

Additionally don’t forget to check out the yellow sticker reductions and freeze what you can. Frozen vegetables are nutritionally just as good as fresh usually so do keep an eye for those too to save money.

If you like the sound of this recipe do pop over and check my other recipes out and share them with your friends.

piggy bank with budget written in chalk on a blackboard

More recipes you may enjoy

If you are vegetarian or want to eat more vegetarian or plant-based meals or side dishes like these smoky baked beans I have a full list of vegetarian and vegan recipes which are perfect on weight loss plans.

If you love BBQ flavour foods or having a family BBQ then my guide to help you have a healthy barbeque full of recipes and tips.

Do you like to use your slow cooker? Have you tried all my slow cooker recipes? I have lots of healthy slow cooker ideas.