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Reimagining The Classics: The Beanie Weanie!

Who doesn’t remember the immortal Beanie Weanie (among dozens of other spellings from all over the map); that classic fusion of canned Baked Beans and Hot Dogs that formed such an important part of the young lives of millions of Boomers? Get ready to change it up!

Slow Cooker Baked Beans - © Firedupfoods.comSlow Cooker Baked Beans: The starting point for your global
tour of the great and far-flung Beanie Weanie Empire!

In fact, who could forget the sweet-tangy flavour of the Tomato Sauce that came with the beans mixed with the spicy, rubbery bites of Hot Dog? Those flavours went so darned well with each other you’d almost think they were made with the blessed union in mind!

What the heck am I doing?

Well, now, with the unspeakable drudgery of the COVID-19 crisis still upon us, and the seemingly unending progression of at-home lunches that still lie ahead of us, I thought it was a great time to revisit some of the great mass-appeal lunches and dinners of all time (at least since the post WWII era) and see if we can’t re-imagine them for the modern palate and upgrade them to contemporary nutritional standards… So we’ll test my theory with with one of most iconic dishes of the bunch.

Your traditional Beanie Weanie…

… Was simply a can or two of commercial Baked Beans in a sauce that hinted at the flavour of tomatoes, brown sugar and a little mustard. Everybody fought over the little square of fatty ham or bacon they included in every can to give it that genuine, home-made feel. While the Beans came to the simmer. Mom cut up a bunch of regular Hot Dogs (also called Weaners or Weanies, depending on where you grew up) into roughly 1/2 in. / 1.5 cm chunks and tossed them into the giving the mixture a good stir for luck. When everything was nice and hot, the ‘stew’ came to you in a bowl, usually with some toast on the side. Sometimes. the Beanie Weanie was served on toast on a flat plate. Nice touch. For kids of my generation who considered anything hot for lunch a treat, that was a longed-after treat.

These days, we look upon the traditional Beanie Weanie as a primitive excuse for a meal, even though our fond memories haven’t dimmed one iota. It’s just that we now know so much more can be dome with this classic concept that it seems a crime not to do it. And come up with something more sophisticated, healthier and tastier as a result.

Easy upgrades

I’ve tried a whole slew of change-ups over the years on the Beanie Weanie, and I’ve tossed out more of those ideas than I’ve kept on file. That’s how great discoveries are made, though; trial and error, with a side of persistence.

Following is a condensed version of my Greatest Beanie Weanie Hits, for your consideration…

Change up the Beans

The first and most obvious thing you can do is replace the canned Beans with some of your own home-made Baked Beans. A big batch simmering away all afternoon in the slow cooker is a great way to help fill your freezer and fill the house with great, homey aromas that’ll make everyone’s mouths water.

I have gone way past that notion though. I highly recommend you try simmering up a nice batch of green or brown lentils in a traditional Indian sauce, with exotic (not necessarily too hot and spicy) flavours. If you want to keep it traditional, don’t use Beef or Pork Hot Dogs. But I’ll get to that issue in a little bit.

Be advised that all members of the ‘pulses’ family are valid nutritional replacements for your basic beans. This includes, Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans, Split Peas (Green or Yellow) (see photo, top of page) and other Bean ‘relatives’ you’ll find in global cook books. All are available across North America in supermarkets, bulk stores and Asian groceries.

Once you get used to the idea that ‘Beans’ can be much more than just old fashioned Baked Beans, you’ll be off on a global journey with stops in the Mediterranean, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Sub-Continent, most of Asia and a good deal of Central and South America!

Change up the Sausages

Think of the good, old Hot Dog as a mere place holder for all the other Sausages you can try in their place, with all their myriad flavours, textures, and cultural references. Then fact is, many national and regional cuisines have their own ‘plug-in replacement’ equivalents of the Beanie Weanie!

And there are many other traditional variants of Bean or Lentil ‘Stew’ that call for their own traditional meats and other additions.

Another thing to keep in mind is, you can substitute other veggies (often root veggies) for the Weanies for a dish that’s traditional to one part of the world or another.

Always serve with grains!

Perhaps importantly, always remember to serve your Beanie Weanie concoctions over Rice. Grains and Pulses together add up to a complete vegetable protein for human nutrition. That’s just another part pf the magic of the ancient and venerable Beanie Weanie!

Have fun with this old, beloved dish and all its international relations. I’ll be back with another ‘Change it Up’ feature in a few days!

~ Maggie J.