For Mouthwatering Canned Beans, Add One Tangy Ingredient

While buying the best canned beans from the store is very convenient and a great shortcut to a tasty dish, you may notice that they can still be a little bland. To help liven them up a bit, consider adding some punchy condiments that you probably already have at home. One of our favorites can help to both brighten and sweeten your beans: balsamic vinegar.

Acid is one of the best ways to take canned foods, including beans, from dull to dazzling. Thanks to its ability to balance out flavors and bring a bright, tangy complexity to a dish, adding just a teaspoon or two of a tart ingredient can work wonders. Not only does balsamic bring that much-needed acidity, but its natural sweetness plays well with traditional sugary baked beans or the earthy, mild taste of plain ones. The vinegar works overtime to freshen up the beans and make them taste homemade.

When adding balsamic vinegar, make sure you do so at the very end of cooking — this is because the vinegar can become a little bitter if cooked for too long. Once your beans and other flavorings have warmed up on the stove, just remove them from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Taste it and add more if needed. White balsamic vinegar has a gentler, floral flavor, so you can use more without overwhelming the beans, while a traditional strong and syrupy balsamic should be used sparingly.

If you want to add even more flavor to your dish, consider including veggies and aromatics to elevate canned beans even more. Some of our favorite choices that easily complement balsamic vinegar include bell peppers, onions, and garlic. When using these veggies, finely chop them up and saute them in a tablespoon of oil until they've begun to soften. Once they're ready, simply dump in the canned beans with some water or stock and cook as usual before finishing with balsamic. You can also add some herbs to your canned beans, like bay leaves or fresh basil, or even include a touch of tomato paste to bring some depth and richness.

To further enhance canned beans, add more simple ingredients like ground spices, including cumin, coriander, and oregano. The piquant taste of these seasonings go well with the fruity notes in balsamic. If you don't have balsamic vinegar on hand, but want the same effect, consider adding apple cider vinegar mixed with a touch of honey or brown sugar — these will help bring both the tartness and sweetness that balsamic offers. 

You can also brighten up your beans by adding another acid to the pot instead of balsamic, like lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Citrus in particular makes for a brighter profile that's great for Mexican- or South American-inspired recipes. It's an easy way to make your bean dishes sparkle just a bit more.