Easy Baked Beans with Bacon
This easy baked beans recipe with bacon is warm, comforting, sweet, a little smoky, and totally delicious.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked beans with bacon, Boston baked beans, easy baked beans
Servings: 6
- 1 pound bacon cut into small pieces
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 (15 fluid ounce) cans navy beans drained
- 2 (15 fluid ounce) cans red kidney beans drained
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- pepper to taste
- 1 (5.5 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 375F and move the rack to the middle position.
Cut up bacon into small pieces (I use kitchen shears) and add to a fairly large pot (I recommend a Dutch oven because it's oven-safe). Fry bacon over medium-high heat until it's about crispy (approx. 20 minutes).
Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Once the bacon is about ready, drain most of the fat, leaving some for flavor.
Add the onion to the pot and cook it for a few minutes, until softened.
Add the drained beans and the sauce to the pot. Give it a good stir.
Assuming you're using a Dutch oven, place it in the preheated oven uncovered, and cook the beans for 45 minutes. If you're not using a Dutch oven, transfer the beans to a large baking dish/pan and cook for 45 minutes.
Give the beans a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
- You can use slightly larger or smaller cans of beans (like I usually buy 19 fl. oz. cans of beans) - it won't make too much of a difference to overall taste.
- I did give the beans a stir about halfway through their 45 minutes in the oven, but I wouldn't say this is necessary.
- Serves 6+ depending on how much people eat.