Best Baked Beans Ever

This is a guest post by our friend, Susan Finn, social media consultant with Susan Finn Online.

This is an amazing time of the year in New England.  Here, in Easton, MA, with fall, comes football tailgate parties, neighborhood pig roasts, family reunions, student banquets and team ‘pasta dinners’. I wanted to share my fail-safe crowd-pleasing (and affordable) Best Baked Beans EVER recipe.

The recipe I am sharing was based on I found on Friends, Food, Family and subsequently adapted, with my own spin.  I added more cider vinegar to give a  little more tanginess.  I added molasses to give it a deeper flavor.  I don’t use the bacon, as in the original recipe, so that all my vegetarian friends and family can enjoy!

The wrestling team at Oliver Ames High School has designated these baked beans as their “Must-Have” for Home Tournaments. (Holy Cow! Those boys can EAT!)

I hope you will try these, and let us know what changes you make to the recipe.

Ingredients: 

1 large sweet onion, diced 

3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 assorted cans (15-20 oz) of beans

 – your choice of black beans, cannellini, kidney, chickpeas, lima beans, navy beans, etc.

The chickpeas give an interesting variety to the texture of the bean dish.

Lima beans are surprisingly welcome in this sweet, tangy dish.

The other beans give the dish a variety of color.

I have also used the overnight soak/boil method for dried beans.

1 cup of ketchup 

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of cider vinegar

 1/2 cup of water 

Preparation:

Sautè onions in the olive oil until tender and transparent.

Rinse and drain all of the beans.

Crockpot method:  Combine all ingredients in a crockpot.  Stir well.  Cook on high for at least two hours.  Cook longer for deeper flavors or to soften the beans.   

Oven Bake Method: Combine all ingredients in a 13X9 baking dish. Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour; uncover and bake 30 more minutes.

The original recipe calls for cooking all of the ingredients  in a baking dish in the oven.  I have been making mine in a nice, big crockpot.  (One less dish to wash.)

These are even better on the second day, after sitting overnight in the refrigerator and then being reheated.  This gives a chance for all the liquids to infuse in to the beans.

So it’s delicious.  Is it nutritious?

Well, the U.S. Dry Bean Council reports: Unlike meat-based proteins, beans are naturally low in fat, are free of saturated fat and trans-fat, and are a cholesterol-free source of protein. Research shows that a diet including beans may reduce your risk of heart disease.  They also claim that beans are nutrient rich with protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, antioxidants, and important vitamins and minerals, such as folate, manganese, potassium, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium. The lean protein in beans helps maintain and promote muscle while beans’ complex carbohydrates provide a sustained energy source.

Ok,  I’ll go with that.

– Susan

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