Ah yes—baked beans: sweet, savory, and basically a hug in a pot 😄 Let’s do the classic Southern-style (but not just canned warmed up).
Classic Baked Beans (Oven Version)
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15 oz each) navy beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3–4 slices bacon, chopped (optional for vegetarian skip)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 2 tbsp molasses (or maple syrup)
- 1 tbsp mustard (yellow or Dijon)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (skip if vegetarian)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup water or bean liquid
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy (skip if vegetarian). Sauté onion in bacon fat or a bit of oil until translucent.
- In a bowl, mix beans, cooked onions (and bacon), ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, pepper, and water.
- Pour into an ovenproof dish.
- Bake 45–60 minutes, uncovered, stirring halfway, until thick and bubbly.
- Optional: broil 2–3 minutes at the end for a caramelized top.
Tips & Variations
- Sweet & tangy: Add 1–2 tsp apple cider vinegar at the end
- Spicy: Pinch cayenne or hot sauce
- Smoky: Smoked paprika or a little liquid smoke
- Make-ahead: Bakes even better the next day
If you want, I can also give a slow cooker baked beans version that’s basically “set it and forget it” with caramelized magic 😏
Do you want me to do that version too?
