Old Fashioned Baked Beans
User Reviews
5
Old Fashioned Baked Beans
Description
This recipe for Old Fashioned Baked Beans begins with dried navy beans soaked overnight and simmered until tender, with reserved cooking liquid to help achieve the right consistency. Thick-cut bacon is cooked crisp in a Dutch oven, then onions and garlic are softened in the bacon fat, adding depth and sweetness. The sauce mixture consists of tomato sauce or ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, prepared mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, combined for a balanced sweet, tangy, smoky flavor. The cooked beans and reserved cooking liquid are added back to the pot with the sauce and brought to a simmer before baking in the oven with the lid on, then uncovered near the end to thicken the sauce.
The slow oven cooking melds flavors and thickens the sauce, producing tender beans with a glossy, rich coating that combines sweetness from the molasses and brown sugar with acidity from the vinegar and a mild smoky warmth from the paprika and bacon. The bay leaf adds subtle aromatics during the long cooking.
Serve these baked beans as a warm, hearty side dish alongside grilled or barbecued meats, or as part of a traditional meal. The texture should be creamy yet intact beans with a thick, sticky sauce coating.
To ensure even cooking, especially for older or hard beans, a small amount of baking soda can be added during boiling to soften them without turning them mushy. Care should be taken with the amount used to keep beans intact.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Navy beans dried
- 8 ounces Bacon diced, thick cut
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped, medium
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard prepared
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place the dried beans in a pot of water covered by a few inches of water and let soak overnight. Drain the beans, place them back in the pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour, then drain, reserving the liquid. See NOTE.
- In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot fry the bacon until crispy then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Stir in the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and bay leaf.Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved bean water and the beans.Bring everything to a simmer for a minute or two to heat it up. In the meantime preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Transfer the Dutch oven with the lid on to the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 2 to 3 hours or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, removing the lid during the last 20-30 minutes to help the sauce thicken. NOTE: If at any point during the cooking process too much liquid evaporates and the beans get dry, add a little more of the reserved bean water. The beans themselves can vary from batch to batch and you may end up either needing to add more liquid if the beans are too dry or you may need to bake the beans longer with the lid off if there is too much liquid. Adjust as needed.Add more salt the pepper to taste.Serve immediately or let cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- SLOW COOKER METHOD: Follow steps 1 and 2 and then pour everything into the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours or until the beans are tender. Open the lid for the last 30 minutes or longer until the sauce has thickened. If the beans are too thick at any point and too much liquid has evaporated, stir in a little extra water.
Notes
- Soak beans overnight for even, thorough cooking.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per pound of beans during boiling if beans remain hard to soften without overcooking.
- Remove the lid during the last 20-30 minutes of baking to thicken the sauce.
- Reserve bean cooking water to help adjust sauce consistency during baking.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 537 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 537kcal | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 78g | 26% |
| Protein | 22g | 44% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 25mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 1196mg | 50% |
| Potassium | 1319mg | 28% |
| Fiber | 19g | 76% |
| Sugar | 33g | 66% |
| Vitamin A | 267IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 168mg | 17% |
| Iron | 6mg | 33% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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