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Have you ever been to a summer cookout and not seen baked beans served?!? Me either! And I will be quite honest, I used to hate baked beans, but that is because we were doing them all wrong! No offense to my parents, but baked beans should not just be dumped out of a can into a sauce pot to heat up. And heaven forbid the occasional poached hot dogs I would find inside. NO! We are sophisticated now and that means we actually BAKE out beans. Filled with delicious bacon, beed and smokey BBQ, these baked beans are elevated from your standard can. You will be the neighborhood cookout hero!
Beans Base
So I will be honest, my baked beans definitely include canned baked beans! I mean honestly, who has time to soak and cook beans from scratch when someone else has done half of the work for you. But there is so much more to these beans than just a can. It starts with beef and bacon! Begin by cooking off 1/2 lb of bacon and set aside. To the same pan, add 1lb of ground beef and an additional 1/2 lb of chopped bacon. Cook until halfway done, then add 1 diced red bell pepper and 1 small white onion.
Cook the mixture until the meat is cooked through and the veggies are soft. Drain any excess fat if needed. Once the veggies are tender, add the following:
- 48 oz (3 cans) original baked beans
- 1/2 cup barbeque sauce (I used a bourbon hickory blend)
- 1/2 cup of ketchup
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp yellow or spicy mustard
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Mix all of this together and bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes to get some of the excess liquid to evaporate.
Baked Beans
After the beans have simmered for a few minutes, transfer them to a casserole dish. Remember that bacon we fried and set aside? Chop it up! Sprinkle that delicious crunchy bacon right over the top of those beans and cover the dish in foil. Bake in a 350 oven for 40-50 minutes to allow the beans to become nice and thick! Remove the foil and cook another 10-15 minutes to allow the liquid to reduce further.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. You may need to hide it, because chances are it won’t last very long. Sweet and savory baked beans, actually baked in the oven, will be a hit at you Memorial Day, July 4th, or even the last minute block summer cookout! With bits of crunchy bacon on top, these soft, creamy baked beans will be the star side dish of the show.
Need More Picnic Side Dishes?
- Grilled Asparagus Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Italian Roasted Vegetables
- Elote Pasta Salad
- Loaded Potato Salad
- BLTA Pasta Salad
The Best Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb bacon divided
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 white onion diced
- 48 oz original baked beans 3 16 oz cans
- ½ cup barbeque sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp yellow or spicy mustard
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- In a cast iron pan, brown ½ lb of bacon, set aside
- Drain grease and add ground beef and remaining bacon (chopped) to the pan to cook.
- When about halfway cooked through, add diced onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft
- Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and transfer to a baking dish.
- Crumble the bacon that was set aside and sprinkle on top. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
