Easy Baked Beans with Bacon
This easy baked beans recipe with bacon is warm, comforting, sweet, a little smoky, and totally delicious.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- 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.