Baked beans are among the easiest, always-on-hand things to cook for lunches or breakfast. They make for the best baked potato topping or are fantastic on a toasted piece of sourdough bread. I typically just add pepper to my baked beans, but Reddit users have other ideas — and there was one response that kept cropping up.
One user asked if “most British people season their baked beans,” and the discussion sparked over 3,000 comments of Brits sharing their secret ingredients that spice up the kitchen staple. The user added: “According to my boyfriend, you’re only supposed to take them out of the tin into a bowl and microwave them, or to put them in a pot on the stove for like three minutes. The only allowed flavour is the tomato sauce they come with.”
Paprika was mentioned numerous times by users who swore by the spice. One person said: “Try a bit of smoked paprika on baked beans. You’re welcome.”
Another said: “Smoked paprika adds some smokiness that you would normally get with bacon.” A third wrote: “Smoked paprika is a game-changer. It goes well with the flavours of baked beans.”
As I had smoked paprika to hand already, I thought it was a great time to put it to the test.
Smoked paprika is one of those seasonings I love to add to my chicken or when I’m making homemade chips, but I never thought to add it to baked beans.
I started by adding the spice to the beans in a bowl. While it wasn’t mentioned how much smoked paprika to use, I opted for one teaspoon.
I usually heat my baked beans in a saucepan, however, I was short on time this day, so I used the microwave instead.
I left the beans in the microwave for one minute before giving them a stir and putting them in for another minute.
Opening the microwave after the second minute was up, I could smell the delicious smoky scent.
I served the beans on a slice of toasted sourdough bread. The seasoning offered a fantastic depth of flavour to the semi-sweet baked beans.
I would say a teaspoon is just the right amount, as any more would probably overpower the baked beans.
