Take plain baked beans to the next level with these delicious BBQ Beans full of onion, bacon, and seasonings in a tangy tomato sauce.
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour25 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Ingredients
½large red onionthinly sliced
4slicesbaconcut crosswise
Olive oil
45ouncescanned beansnavy, cannellini, or great northern beans, lightly drained (3 15-ounce cans)
16ouncestomato sauce
½cupwater
¼cuplight brown sugarpacked
⅓cupbarbecue sauce
¼teaspoonred pepper flakes
1tablespoonfresh rosemaryfinely chopped
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the onion and bacon in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Cook for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the onion has softened and the bacon has browned lightly.
Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Return to the oven and bake for an additional 1 hour or until the beans are tender.
Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Ingredients:
Use any small-ish white beans that you like – navy, cannellini, or great northern beans all work well.
I recommend a sweet barbecue sauce such as Kraft original or Sweet Baby Ray’s.
If you don’t have fresh rosemary, substitute one teaspoon of dried.
Variations and Tips:
Spice up your beans even more by adding a finely diced jalapeno or a couple of minced chipotles in adobe.
Add a bit of “tang” by stirring in a couple of tablespoons of yellow mustard.
If you don’t have light brown sugar on hand, you can make a substitute with 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses stirred together. No molasses? Try a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey.
Storage:Cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days. Reheat slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave. You can also freeze them for up to six months.How to Use Dried Beans:To use dried beans for the recipe, you’ll need 1 1/2 cups dried beans to equal 3 15-ounce cans. Rinse the dried beans and check through them for any bad beans or foreign material. Place in a bowl with enough water to cover by two inches. Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse briefly and proceed with the recipe. Note that even after soaking, dried beans may need more time to become tender than canned beans.