Description
These homemade baked beans are smoky, savory, and easy to make with BBQ sauce, paprika, and tender beans (dry or canned). The perfect vegan BBQ side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry beans, cooked (see recipe notes) or sub 4 x 15-ounce canned beans, drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard (or use Dijon)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2-3/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2-1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3/4-1 cup bean broth (or water or veggie broth)
- salt to taste
- optional- pinch cayenne, chipotle powder or hot sauce to taste
Instructions
*Soak bigger beans for 12 hours or overnight in a bowl of water. See notes for cooking dry beans from scratch. Do this ahead.
Preheat oven to 375F
Saute. In a large oven-proof skillet or braiser, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until tender. Add the tomato paste and spices, then toast them for 1 minute, stirring, to add depth.
Simmer. Add the BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, and bean water, whisk and bring to a simmer. Add the drained beans and mix well, adding more bean broth to loosen. You want it a little loose, as it will thicken and cook down in the oven.
Season. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of cayenne or hot sauce for heat. If you want it sweeter, add more maple syrup. If it’s too sweet, a few drops of vinegar to balance.
Bake. Place on the middle rack in the oven, and bake uncovered until bubbling, thickened, and the top is caramelized. 40-50 minutes.
Notes
Dry Beans. If using bigger beans (like pinto beans, kidney beans, or great northern) soak them in a bowl of ample water for 10-12 hours first, for even cooking. Small beans (like black beans or navy beans) can be cooked without soaking (but I still do). Drain the beans. Add them to a medium pot, cover with 2 inches of water. Add 2 ½ teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 bay leaf, 1 chopped shallot, and 2-3 chopped garlic cloves. Simmer covered until tender. Save the flavorful bean broth. I’ll often do this a day in advance and refrigerate it.
Canned beans. Use white beans, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, or a mixture. Drain them. You’ll need roughly 6-7 cups or 4 x 15-ounce cans.
Recipe fits in a 2-3-quart braiser or a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 11.5 g
- Sodium: 318.8 mg
- Fat: 2.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.2 g
- Fiber: 10.3 g
- Protein: 13.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
