Description
This classic baked beans recipe combines a medley of beans with smoky bacon, sautéed vegetables, and a rich, tangy sauce made from ketchup, molasses, and spices. Baked low and slow in the oven, the beans develop a perfect balance of sweetness and smoky depth, making them an ideal side dish for barbecues, picnics, or comforting family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 10 slices bacon, chopped
Vegetables
- 1 yellow onion, medium, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Beans
- 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz can navy beans, drained
- 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
- 15 oz can baked beans, undrained
Sauce & Seasonings
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional for smoky flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the beans.
- Cook Bacon: In a large pot over medium heat, add the chopped bacon. Cook while stirring often until the bacon is crisp. Remove the cooked bacon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. Leave some bacon grease in the pot for sautéing the vegetables.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add the finely chopped yellow onion to the pot with the reserved bacon grease and sauté for about 4 minutes until softened. Then add the chopped red bell pepper and minced garlic, cooking for an additional 2 minutes to develop flavor.
- Combine Ingredients: Add the drained kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, undrained baked beans, ketchup, light brown sugar, tomato sauce, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, hot sauce, optional liquid smoke, freshly ground black pepper, and the cooked bacon to the pot. Stir everything together thoroughly. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Bake Beans: Pour the combined mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 to 2 hours, depending on your preferred consistency. For saucier beans, bake for closer to 1 hour; for thicker beans, bake longer. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to let the top slightly caramelize.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the beans to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. This resting time helps thicken the sauce and makes the beans easier to serve.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead by preparing through step 4, then cover and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as directed.
- Freeze baked beans for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
- For saucier beans, bake for 1 hour. For thicker consistency, bake up to 2 hours or longer as desired.
- If you prefer less sweetness, reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup.
- Slow cooker variation: After cooking bacon and sautéing onion, add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
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