Classic Baked Beans
Baked beans are an American classic. This updated version is perfectly balanced with sweetness from the molasses and brown sugar, smokiness from the bacon, and a bit of acid from the onion, mustard, and tomato paste. Using two different colors of beans creates more visual interest.
| Ingredients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Red beans | 3 cups |
| Bacon, diced | 1 cup |
| Onion, diced fine | 1 each |
| Molasses | ¼ cup |
| Kosher salt | 1 tea. |
| Fresh ground black pepper | ½ tea. |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tea. |
| Tomato paste | 2 Tbsp. |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 tea. |
| Brown sugar | 3 Tbsp. |
| Black beans, cooked | 2 cups |
Method
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Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1½ hours. Drain and reserve the liquid.
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sauté the bacon until light brown, add the onion and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
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Arrange the cooked beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with bacon and onion mixture.
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In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.
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Bake for 3 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.
Yield: 10 portions