Before I say anything else, when you drain the beans, reserve the water from the cans. If like me you can't use eggs, bean water is a great substitute to have on hand! You can whip it up and use it to make eggless mayonnaise, meringues, in place of egg whites in chiffon cake..... I have mayo and meringues posted!
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes or so until almost translucent
Add the thyme and chopped garlic and fry a further minute, stirring constantly
Add the passata, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, salt 2 whole cloves and cinnamon. If you taste it now you'll get a good idea of if you need extra sugar, vinegar or salt to suit your own taste
Let simmer for 25 - 30 minutes then take off the heat and let cool a bit
Once cooled enough, puree completely smooth (leave the cloves in)
Meanwhile, boil the beans in some plain water for 3 minutes until softened a bit more then drain
Add the beans to the sauce mixture and cook on a low heat for 15 - 20 minutes or until the beans are soft and everything is heated through
You can use dried beans - soak them overnight then using fresh water, boil them with half a tsp of bicarbonate of soda / baking soda for an hour, then once added to the sauce, let them cook for around 30 minutes
Use within 2 days. Keep leftovers in the fridge. The longer the beans sit in the sauce, the better the final flavour so these are best made the day before but will still be delicious freshly made
Great over toast!
