Description
Baked beans with brown sugar and bacon bring pure comfort to your dinner table, turning a simple side dish into a crowd-pleasing favorite that friends and family will devour. Smoky bacon and sweet brown sugar create a delicious harmony guaranteed to make your barbecue or weeknight meal memorable.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 54 oz can pork and beans
- 10 slices bacon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
Supporting Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion
- ½ green bell pepper
- ¼ cup molasses
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Seasonings:
- 2 teaspoons dried mustard powder
Instructions
- Crisp 10 slices of diced bacon in a 400°F oven for 8-10 minutes until partially cooked. Your bacon should look golden but not completely crisp.
- Transfer bacon to a paper towel, leaving 2 tablespoons of rendered fat in the skillet. Drain excess grease.
- Sauté 1 finely diced yellow onion and ½ diced green bell pepper in the bacon fat for 5 minutes over medium heat until vegetables become translucent.
- Add 54 ounces of pork and beans, 4 tablespoons ketchup, ¼ cup molasses, ⅔ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, and 2 teaspoons dried mustard powder to the skillet. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Simmer the bean mixture for 2 minutes, allowing flavors to meld together.
- Transfer the entire mixture to a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Distribute the partially cooked bacon pieces evenly across the top.
- Bake in a 325°F oven for 2-3 hours, checking periodically to ensure beans reach a thick, rich consistency.
- Remove from oven and let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. The beans will continue to thicken as they cool.
Notes
- Partially cooking bacon beforehand ensures crispy texture and prevents it from becoming soggy during baking.
- Sautéing vegetables in bacon grease adds deep, rich flavor to the entire dish.
- Slow baking allows beans to absorb seasonings and develop a thick, luxurious consistency.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute bacon with smoked paprika and use plant-based butter to maintain a similar smoky flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 13-15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 2-3 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg