Description
This classic Baked Beans Recipe is a deliciously sweet, smoky, and hearty dish that works as a side or a meal. Packed with flavor, it’s perfect for barbecues, potlucks, or cozy dinners at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups dried navy beans (or 3 cans, drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 cup diced bacon or smoked sausage (optional for extra flavor)
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
Instructions
If Using Dried Beans:
- Soak Beans: Rinse the beans and soak them overnight in water. Drain and rinse before cooking.
- Cook Beans: In a large pot, cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1-1.5 hours, or until tender.
Recipe Preparation:
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Sauté Ingredients: In a skillet, cook the bacon or sausage until crispy. Add the onion and sauté until softened.
- Mix Sauce: In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Combine Beans and Sauce: In a baking dish, mix the beans, sautéed ingredients, and sauce. Add water or chicken broth, stirring to combine.
- Bake: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 2 hours. Remove foil for the last 30 minutes for a thicker sauce.
- Serve: Enjoy as a side dish or a hearty main course with crusty bread or cornbread.
Notes
- For a vegetarian version, omit bacon and use vegetable broth.
- Adjust sweetness by reducing or substituting brown sugar with maple syrup or honey.
- Add a pinch of chili flakes or hot sauce for a spicy variation.
- The dish can be prepared in advance and reheated for convenience.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
Keywords: Baked beans, comfort food, smoky beans, sweet beans, side dish, barbecue beans, vegetarian beans, hearty beans