Give Canned Baked Beans 10X The Flavor With A Splash Of This Popular Thai Sauce

There are endless out-of-the-box ways to use that can of baked beans in your pantry, but you can also amp up the flavor of the tinned legumes and serve them as a side dish. In particular, there's a Thai condiment that can give them layers of depth. The next time you're bored with the beans right out of the can, you might want to pull out some peanut sauce.

Peanut sauce is used on an array of Thai dishes including chicken satay and pad Thai, but it lends itself to beans, too. You can find various recipes for legumes like butter beans cooked in a homemade peanut sauce, but the bottled condiment and canned baked beans work as well. Why? It makes for an easy side dish that doesn't require much time. It's also an easy way to use up a small amount of peanut sauce, because you can mix it with other ingredients. The sauce will add a nutty, savory, and mildly sweet flavor that will meld well with the rich, tangy, and smoky notes often found in canned baked beans. It will also make the consistency of the sauce thicker and creamier than it would be directly out of the can.

To get started, you'll need a can of your favorite baked beans (we've ranked the best brands here) and Thai peanut sauce. You can use a bottle of store-bought peanut sauce or whip up a homemade batch, perhaps with our Spicy Peanut Sauce recipe. Store-bought Thai peanut sauce might be thick and loaded with flavor, so it's best to start with a couple of tablespoons, then add more to taste. If you go too far with the peanut sauce, slowly add a bit of water to thin out the consistency and balance the notes. Then allow the beans to simmer over low heat so the sauce thickens and the flavors develop further.

If you want to add more depth and texture into your baked beans, you don't have to stop at adding peanut sauce. Other condiments that you can stir into baked beans along with peanut sauce include sriracha or your other favorite hot sauce for heat, a little sesame oil for nuttiness, lime juice for some subtle acid, or a dash of soy sauce for umami. If you have any spare, fresh cilantro in the fridge, these beans are an easy way to use it up for some herbiness. Or lean into the flavor with some crushed peanuts to add crunch to the baked beans.