Fennel seed, sage, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and hickory salt give these sausage-flavored breakfast beans their wonderful flavor.
In my quest to eat breakfast more regularly, I’ve discovered two things about myself: fruit-heavy breakfasts don’t really satisfy me and carb-heavy breakfasts just make me hungry for lunch earlier.
Protein is a different story. Tofu omelets and scrambles fill me up and satisfy my hunger for a much longer time than oatmeal or smoothies, but I don’t want to eat tofu every day. So I’ve been experimenting with a concept that many Americans will find unusual–beans for breakfast.
Of course, in many places outside of the United States, beans are standard breakfast fare. From Baked Beans on Toast in England to Ful Medames (fava beans) in Egypt to Gallo Pinto (red beans and rice) in Nicaragua and Casamiento (black beans and rice) in El Salvador, people all over the world enjoy beans for breakfast because they are inexpensive and loaded with nutrition.
Since I’m a Southerner, I wanted breakfast beans that I could serve on top of grits.
If you’ve ever had grits, you know that they’re very bland. Most people flavor them up by adding a ton of butter or margarine to them and serving them alongside bacon or sausage–veggie sausage in this vegan household.
But as you know, those vegan sausages are very processed and not the way I want to start off my day. So I created my breakfast beans to taste like sausage by using the seasonings that go into Italian sausage–fennel seed, sage, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes–plus a little hickory smoked salt and smoked paprika to add that smokehouse flavor. With so much flavor in the beans, the grits no longer need any added fat.
Of course, you can serve these sausage-flavored beans over rice, potatoes, or any grain you like, or you can serve them au natural for a lower-carb breakfast. And you can eat them for dinner or lunch instead of breakfast. Just eat ’em!
Sausage-Flavored Breakfast Beans and Grits
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- pinch of baking soda see notes
- water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 large red bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups cooked cannellini beans or other white beans or 2 cans, rinsed and drained, drained
- 1 cup vegetable broth plus additional, as needed
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed see note, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes depending on how spicy want it to be
- 4 cups chopped fresh spinach
- smoked salt to taste
- 1 cup yellow corn grits prepared according to package instructions
Instructions
- Heat a large non-stick pot or skillet. Add the onion, sprinkle it with the baking soda, and immediately stir in one tablespoon of water or vegetable broth. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion changes color and begins to soften, adding more water if it starts to stick to the pan. Add the chopped pepper and garlic along with another tablespoon of water or broth. Cook for 2-3 minutes, adding another splash of water if necessary and making sure that the garlic does not burn.
- Add the drained beans, vegetable broth, and all seasonings. Cover tightly, reduce heat to very low, and cook for at least 30 minutes, adding broth if it starts to dry out. The longer and slower you cook them, the more flavorful the beans will be.
- While the beans are cooking, prepare the grits according to package instructions. (I used 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill organic grits cooked in 3 cups of water.) Keep warm until beans are ready.
- Check the beans, and if they seem dry, add a good splash of broth. (The beans should have a little liquid around them, but not as much as a soup or stew.) Increase the heat to medium, add the spinach, sprinkle with smoked salt if you want, stir well, cover tightly, and cook until the spinach wilts. Serve over the grits.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please Pin and share!
Enjoy!
Shellie
November 22, 2013 at 2:10 pmMaking this for our dinner tonight. I don’t have any baking soda, and will be picking some up, but what does it do to the onions? Is it necessary? I did look for substitutes online, but they’re mostly for baking. Thanks. Looking forward to this. I bought the grits awhile ago to make this, and I’m finally doing it. 🙂
Susan Voisin
November 22, 2013 at 3:22 pmBaking soda speeds the cooking of the onion so that no oil and little liquid is needed. You can just leave it out. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Shellie
November 22, 2013 at 4:19 pmSome day I’ll learn to read the complete recipe before posting. I see the note about the baking soda now. 🙁
Shellie
November 22, 2013 at 8:27 pmDelicious. I couldn’t get it nearly as dry as in the pic and had to serve it over the grits with a slotted spoon. Not sure why so wet..
Love the idea about the baking soda. I haven’t been able to get my onions to look like this in my non-stick pan.
andi
November 24, 2013 at 7:44 amSusan, I can’t believe how delicious this is! Finally decided to make it for breakfast this morning and I’m swooning. I didn’t have grits in the house so used Bob’s Red Mill medium grind corn meal and made polenta with it. I also by mistake doubled the fennel seeds, but I love fennel so am really happy with the result.
I love all of your recipes. They are so flavorful and easy to prepare.
Julie
December 2, 2013 at 8:41 amEggs-actly what I was looked for… although for opposite reasons. I too am an aspiring southern vegan. I do fine for breakfast… oatmeal and smoothies suit me just fine, but my family loves breakfast for dinner. I usually like a poached egg on top of my grits. My kids like vegan sausage patties, but I am not a fan so I wanted another protein with some veggies that still had that breakfast food taste. I saw another recipes for shitake “bacon” I may add to this as well. Thanks!
Catherine Morgan
April 25, 2019 at 12:37 pmHow did you get the protein estimate that high? Seems as if each serving would have about half a cup of beans (about 8 g protein) and the corn grits have very little (2 g?)
Catherine Morgan
April 25, 2019 at 1:01 pmNever mind. I was thinking that half a can of beans would only be half a cup, but it’s at least 3/4 cup, maybe a full cup.
Boris
December 8, 2013 at 3:44 pmI made this and it’s just what I’ve been looking for to have for a healthy breakfast. It was delicious! I never thought of using the same spices found in sausage, what a great idea. I love your blog.
Carol
December 18, 2013 at 10:06 amHi Susan,
Just made this for breakfast – gosh it was delicious! The seasonings were perfect. Using a pinch of soda was a neat trick too. Thanks for all the inspiring recipes.
risa
December 19, 2013 at 8:04 amI truly enjoy the recipe. Who would think but love the beans with the grits. Keep the recipe coming. My daugter love recipe she is eighteen.
Buddy Wheeler
December 22, 2013 at 8:10 pmMade them last night, subbed dry beans (soaked) and put them in the slow cooker overnight. Ladled them over jalapeno garlic grits and they were amazing! Even my 6 year old though they were great 🙂
Corrin Radd
January 31, 2014 at 7:16 pmMade this today–pretty sure it was my first time ever making grits. Loved it.
nlh110
February 17, 2014 at 2:53 pmI’ve made this a few times and it is delicious. Want to make so e different tasting enchiladas, so I am going to use these beans. What would you recommend for a sauce? I was thinking of Genovese sauce.
Love your blog, and appreciate your recipes.
Leann
Marian Gleason
April 16, 2014 at 1:09 pmTried this for our breakfast today & we both loved it! Didn’t have grits on hand but did have frozen hashbrowns & that made a YUMBO breakfast thanks, Susan!,
Karen
September 14, 2014 at 11:32 amThank you! Another great addition to our meals. We often have grits, kale and vegan sausage for Sunday Brunch. I made this recipe last night to reheat with today’s brunch. WOW. My intent had been to just use it to replace sausage for my bowl (trying to further reduce fat intake) but it was a hit! I used rounded measures of spices/herbs. I had some jarred roasted red peppers so used that instead of the fresh red bell. Learning from comments I added two medium chopped mushrooms (because I had them) and to enhance the mushrooms, I added a teaspoon on soy sauce for umami and a dash of liquid smoke. Thank you for all or your recipes and meal ideas. Your knowledge has enhanced our meals!
Chery
February 28, 2016 at 10:45 amGosh I left the crockpot on high all night last night. Fortunately I got up @ 5:30, added some kale and turned it off after another half an hour or so. This is delicious but I have to admit that it’s even better with bacon fat — especially when eating with grits! My guilty pleasure…
Sarah
May 4, 2018 at 7:10 pmOMG this is SO GOOD!!!!!
Dorothy N.
October 23, 2018 at 12:36 pmI’m a little late to the party here, but I have to share. This recipe is absolutely delicious! We enjoy hot, savory breakfasts most days, and I was looking for an alternative to tofu just to mix things up. The beans really do have sort of an essence of sausage, and the grits are a nice alternative to potatoes. Very satisfying. From the finished dish, you wouldn’t guess that there’s no added fat. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
POLLY Freshwater
September 9, 2019 at 8:31 amYes! This is a game changer. You know that person who gave in to fake breakfast sausage cravings just a bit too easily & often? Yeah…that was moi, but no more, my friends! Absolutely obsession worthy recipe!
Franny
February 9, 2022 at 8:32 pmYay, Susan! This recipe is another winner. Super delicious and so easy to make. The fennel and smoked salt add that special somethin-somethin! We had half for dinner tonight and will enjoy the rest for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you, thank you! 💖 Franny