Home > Dinner > Beans on Toast Beans on Toast August 31, 2021 | 4 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Beans On Toast is one of the easiest–yet most satisfying– meals! Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are sautéed in a flavorful marinara and mixed with spinach. Serve over toasted bread, fried bread (our fave!), or couscous — we’ll share all the different serving suggestions to keep this meal exciting every time you prepare it! This Beans On Toast meal is part of our Back-To-School Lifesavers — a series of recipes that are intended to have little (or no) veggie chopping, minimal prep time, around 10 ingredients or less (not including pantry staples), and use kid-friendly ingredients. Click here to see all the recipes in the series! Beans On Toast My husband lived in London for a couple of years and one of his go-to meals there was Beans on Toast. Saucy beans served on toast are still total comfort food to him to this day and it’s one of his go-to quick meals. While this is not a traditional British Beans on Toast (this is more traditional), it’s my take on one of his favorite easy meals. The kids love it, he loves it, and I can’t get enough of it. It’s such an easy dinner that’s filling, nutritious, satisfying, and so tasty! The Main Ingredients in Beans On Toast Chickpeas. Also called garbanzo beans. These are a great source of plant-based protein and this meal is balanced and satiating. Baby spinach. We use fresh baby spinach in — it cooks down nicely and quickly, especially if it’s been coarsely chopped beforehand. Since this recipe is aimed at being as quick/simple as possible, you don’t have to coarsely chop it, but we find the kids like it better chopped! Unsalted butter. To be able to control the salt to your preference (especially since we recommend using marinara which is nicely seasoned) use unsalted butter. You can always add a pinch more of salt if needed, but you can’t take it away! Paprika. This seasoning adds a nice complexity and contrasting flavor to this meal. Use smoked paprika for a rich and smoky flavor. SHORTCUTS For the marinara sauce, we highly recommend Rao’s® marinara sauce: (not sponsored). This marinara has a deep, intense flavor, tastes homemade, and is thick and hearty. A good marinara sauce makes the biggest difference in this recipe. By using Rao’s, we greatly cut down on ingredients because it has so many additions included (olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh basil, pepper, oregano, etc.). Pre-diced onions. Most grocery stores sell diced yellow onions in the produce section of the store. Alternatively, frozen diced onions are often found by the other frozen veggies and can be used in this recipe. Or, use a food processor to quickly chop an onion. Garlic. We love Dorot’s® cubes which are crushed garlic that you can keep handy in the freezer and pop into this (and other) recipes when needed. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store). Another option is to use refrigerated minced garlic. Beans On Toast Serving Options There are three ways to serve these saucy chickpeas. Obviously on toast, but our favorite way is with crusty, slightly crispy fried bread. Let’s break down the options below: Easiest option: Toast sourdough (or hearty/thick bread of choice) in the toaster. Place on a plate and top with saucy chickpeas, Parmesan, and fresh herbs if using. Enjoy immediately! Served over a grain: Couscous is the quickest and easiest base to whip up; you can have it ready in about 5 minutes! There are several different types of couscous, so you want to make sure to get the small couscous (Moroccan couscous) so it cooks up in this short amount of time. Fluff it up, load it in bowls, and top it with the saucy beans. If choosing this option, we still like toast to dip in/serve on the side. With fried bread (our favorite!): We fry sourdough bread in a pan with olive oil until golden brown and slightly crispy/chewy. Use tongs to transfer the bread to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle on some salt. Spoon the saucy chickpeas on top and be prepared for your life to be forever changed. 😉 QUICK TIP Once the saucy beans and base are prepared, there are a few different ways to jazz up this meal — add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese or throw on some fresh herbs (we’re partial to basil or flat-leaf Italian parsley). Don’t forget a pinch of salt and pepper! STORAGE The marinara and bean filling stores well and re-heats nicely, making this a great dish to prepare ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat, simply reheat the marinara chickpeas (over low heat on the stovetop or even in the microwave) and prepare the toast/fried bread/couscous fresh for serving. More chickpea recipes Mexican Chickpeas with a cilantro-lime sauce Chickpea Salad Sandwich with mashed avocado Chickpea Curry with the best seasoning blend! Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup with kale General Tso Chickpeas with veggies FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Beans on Toast 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe Beans On Toast is one of the easiest, yet most satisfying meals! Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are sautéed in a flavorful marinara and mixed with spinach. Serve over toasted bread, fried bread (our fave!), or couscous -- we'll share all the different serving suggestions to keep this meal exciting every time you prepare it! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Beans on Toast 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Beans On Toast is one of the easiest, yet most satisfying meals! Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are sautéed in a flavorful marinara and mixed with spinach. Serve over toasted bread, fried bread (our fave!), or couscous -- we'll share all the different serving suggestions to keep this meal exciting every time you prepare it! Course Brunch, Dinner, lunch, Main Course Cuisine American, Healthy Keyword Beans on Toast Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Cook Time 15 minutes minutes Servings 4 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 561kcal Author Chelsea Lords Ingredients▢ 1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, (garbanzos) drained & rinsed▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter▢ 1 cup diced yellow onion▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic▢ 1 jar (24 oz.) good marinara sauce Note 1▢ 2 teaspoons paprika▢ 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach▢ 4 slices Hearty sourdough bread & olive oil▢ Optional: Parmesan cheese, 1 cup couscous, salt & pepper, fresh herbs (basil or parsley)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsONION & CHICKPEAS: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add in the diced onion and rinsed/drained chickpeas. Cook, stirring frequently until butter begins to brown and onion turns translucent, about 5-7 minutes. MARINARA: Add the garlic and paprika. Cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Then pour in all of the marinara sauce and stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and continue simmering for 8-10 minutes or until marinara begins to thicken nicely. Turn to the lowest heat setting and add in coarsely chopped spinach. Stir through until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the pot from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning to personal preference; we typically don't add any salt/pepper because Rao's marinara is so well-seasoned! SERVING OPTION #1: Serve over couscous. Pour 1 cup of water into a small pot. Once boiling, remove the pot from heat. Stir in the uncooked couscous and cover the pot with a lid. After about 2-4 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed; fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in about 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (or season to personal preference). Divide couscous evenly among 4 bowls and divide saucy chickpeas on top. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired. Serve with toasted sourdough bread. SERVING OPTION #2: Add 1/4 cup (and more as needed) olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cut sourdough bread in half widthwise and add the slices to the pan. Cook in the pan until golden brown and slightly crispy/chewy, flip, and repeat for the other side. Use tongs to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle on some salt. Repeat with as much bread as you'd like adding more olive oil as needed. Serve chickpeas in a bowl topped with Parmesan and fresh herbs if using. Scoop saucy chickpeas onto the fried bread to eat. SERVING OPTION #3: Toast sourdough (or bread of choice) in a toaster. Place on a plate and top with saucy chickpeas, Parmesan, and fresh herbs if using. Enjoy immediately!STORAGE: The beans store really nicely and only get more flavorful as they store in an airtight container in the fridge -- yum! Video Recipe NotesNote 1: We highly recommend Rao’s® marinara sauce which makes all the difference for this recipe! This marinara has a deep, intense flavor, tastes homemade and is thick and hearty. By using Rao's we greatly cut down on ingredients because this marinara has so many additions included (olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh basil, pepper, oregano, etc.). Nutrition information does not include couscous but does include slices of toasted sourdough bread (since we recommend serving it with all of the serving options!). Nutrition FactsCalories: 561kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 1325mg | Potassium: 1718mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 12306IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 11mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below. Recipe adapted from Little Vienna
When I told my husband we were having beans on toast for dinner, he was less than enthused. It turned out that he loved it! Thanks for a great recipe! Reply
