Beanie Weenies is a true comfort food meal, and it brings back the 80s and 90s in my kitchen.
Prepare this effortless one-pot, 20 minute dinner that comes with an upgraded, hard-to-resist, flavoring profile.
TL;DR
I grew up eating beanie weenies, and it was always one of my favorite meals.
You might also know this dish as beans and franks or frankfurter and beans or hot dog and beans.
My mum loved peppering it because it's easy to put together when in a hurry, and we kids were just gobbling it up. Mind you, my mum is French.
So, of course, that means the beanie weenies were enhanced with special flavors, herbs and warm spices to bring out the best in this iconic child-hood dish.
This is my mum's recipe with my enhancements, and you can call it your new upgraded beanie weenie of the 21st century.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil — your favorite kitchen oil, something neutral in flavor such as vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil.
- Onion or Shallot — sliced.
- Garlic — fresh, roughly chopped.
- Bell Pepper — sliced red, yellow, or orange.
- Sausages — sliced. I use Frankfurter or Wiener Sausages, but you can use cocktail sausages too or something like Kielbasa. In Austria, we also use the pink meatloaf because it's commonly available.
- Baked Beans — white canned beans in a tomato sauce.
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Bay Leaf — an important ingredient to help balance the tomato and bean flavors.
- Oregano — equally compliments the sausage and tomato flavors.
- Dijon Mustard — or another European mustard paste such as a German or Czech one, just not the British ones, please. Dijon mustard works great with white beans! I used a fruity Mirabelle Dijon Mustard in the pictures that I got from France.
- Water
- Parsley — fresh and chopped to garnish the dish. Adds an element of freshness but completes the meal, please don't skip it.
Process Overview
Step 1
Sauté sliced onion, chopped garlic, sliced bell pepper and sliced sausages.
Step 2
Stir in the baked beans with the seasoning, including the salt, pepper, bay leaf, oregano, and mustard paste.
Mix in the water.
Step 3
Cook covered for 2–3 minutes.
Uncover and finish cooking over a lower heating so that the beans don't stick to the bottom for 5–8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Step 4
Take out the bay leaf and discard.
Top with freshly chopped parsley.
📖 Recipe
Beanie Weenies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 medium Onion sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic large, chopped
- ½ cup Bell Pepper sliced
- 2-3 Sausages sliced, I used Frankfurters.
- 2 cans Baked Beans
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- 1 Bay Leaf
- Black Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard or another European mustard paste
- ½ cup Water
- Parsley chopped to top
Instructions
- In a pan, heat the oil and sauté onion slices over a medium heat setting so that they get a bit soft.1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 medium Onion
- Stir in chopped garlic and sauté for another minute.2 cloves Garlic
- Add the sliced bell pepper and sausage slices and sauté 2–3 minutes.½ cup Bell Pepper, 2-3 Sausages
- Reduce the heat and stir in the baked beans and at the same time the seasoning, including the oregano, bay leaf, black pepper, salt, and Dijon mustard.2 cans Baked Beans, 1 Teaspoon Oregano, 1 Bay Leaf, Black Pepper, Salt, 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Increase to a medium heat setting and pour in your water. Mix it all well and cover the pan to cook until it starts to bubble.½ cup Water
- Uncover, and continue to cook on a lower heat setting, stirring occasionally so that nothing sticks at the bottom. Allow to infuse and cook down for 5–8 minutes, or until you are satisfied with the consistency.
- Take out the bay leaf and discard.
- Serve up the beanie weenies topped with freshly chopped green parsley.Parsley
Notes
Equipment
- 8" Chef Knife
- Small Pot
Nutrition
Serving
Get some crunchy baguette or freshly baked bread with this dish for a complete meal.
We always serve a mini side salad with that. These are tangy in nature and add that vinegary taste to balance out all flavors that work in symbiosis with the beanie weenies.
Technically, you can serve your beanie weenies over other sides such as polenta/grits or add some roasted vegetables to the meal.
Storing
Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 6 days in your fridge or freezer.
To thaw when frozen, place in the fridge to thaw overnight or gradually reheat in your microwave or oven or over the stove top burner.
That said, this dish can be easily added to your meal prepping rotation for the week as it keeps well, and it's quick and effortless to put together.
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