These are something I can never get enough of. Bacon, onion, small red beans, tomato sauce and spices come together for a rich sauced bean dish. This is amazing by itself but I’ll add linguiça and I always make sure that I make enough for breakfast the next morning.
The Brits think they have a lock-down on the beans-on-toast market, pfft!! NOPE LOL. Growing up beans on toast was a morning treat, especially in the winter before heading out to school. Good ole pork’n’beans were a thing from time to time but these, OMG it was heaven and I thought I ruled the world on those days.
These are called Helen’s Beans because this is my cousin’s recipe. No idea if she made it herself or if it was passed down from her mother or another Portuguese person in her circle. All I know is they’re a mainstay in my home and everyone that has ever had them has made sure to leave with the recipe.
Portuguese Beans (Helen’s Beans)
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon you can use 2-4
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced super fine
- ½ small onion diced
- ¼ tsp whole cumin seed
- ½ tbsp red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 15 oz can small red beans
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set stove to medium high
- Fry bacon till crisp, set aside, keep grease
- Add onion, fry till translucent
- Add garlic and fry till fragrant (a minute or two)
- Add tomato sauce, juice from beans, cumin, vinegar, salt & pepper,
- Turn heat down to simmer and allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes
- Add beans & crumbled bacon, heat through (just a few minutes)