With summer upon us, it is time to think about BBQ side dishes. Easy One Dish Baked Beans have been in the works for 20 years. My son, Mark, absolutely loves baked beans. My goal was to make a side dish that he craved. I did it!
Mark doesn't like onions nor its texture, but this recipe has a whole onion in it. The secret is chopping the onions in a food processor until they are very small. After baking the dish for 3 hours, all you get is the flavor of onions, no crunch.
Many people add green bell peppers, mustard and other ingredients to their baked beans. I am a purist. The basic ingredients in this recipe make it outstanding!
How to Make Easy One Dish Baked Beans
1. Use good baked beans. You can make your own, but buying canned beans is by far the easiest method. I love Bush's baked beans. With all the yumminess you are adding, any brand will do.
2. Open the cans and pour the contents into a 9 x 13 pan. You do not need to use vegetable spray before adding the beans. If you do not want to mix everything in the pan, use a large bowl and then pour into the 9 x 13 pan.
3. Measure the brown sugar and ketchup. Pour both on top of the beans.
4. Chop the onion. You can use a knife and a cutting board, or use a food processor like me. People in my family do not like the crunch of an onion. When you mince the onions into small pieces, they are almost undetectable once the beans have baked.
I usually pulse the machine. Stop it and then push down the pieces of onions at the top. Pulse several times again until the onions look like pieces of rice.
5. Open the bacon package and pull out the whole block of bacon and place on a cutting board. Make sure you purchased 16 oz. of bacon. So many packages are only 12 oz. now. You need a full pound. Cut across the slices of bacon to make small pieces. When the bacon is cut small it will bake better in the beans.
6. Put the chopped onions, sliced bacon and Worcestershire sauce on top. Stir everything together well. If you are using a bowl, it is a little easier to mix everything together, but then you have another dish to wash. The bacon fully cooks during the three hours. The onions will soften while they bake.
7. Cover the pan with tin foil. If your preference is runny beans, bake at 325°. If you like your beans a little thicker, bake at 350°. Both temperatures need 3 hours in the oven.
Take the tin foil off after 2 hours and cook for another 45-60 minutes. I like my beans thick and sticky. Some people like theirs juicy. Cook them uncovered until they look like the consistency you want. Remember, you can always put them back in and cook longer if you take them out too early.
Let me know on Instagram or Pinterest if you make this.
Post a picture and tag me @dinasdiner. I want to know how it turns out.
Easy One Dish Baked Beans
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4 Cans of Baked Beans, 16.5 oz.
1 Large Onion
1 C. Ketchup
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 lb. Bacon, cut up
1 C. Ketchup
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 lb. Bacon, cut up
1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Cut bacon into small pieces. Chop onions.
3. Mix all ingredients into a 9 X 13 pan.
4. Use a spoon to stir all ingredients until well combined.
5. Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 3 hours.
6. After 2 hours, take the tin foil off and continue to bake for another hour.
7. If you like thicker baked beans, cook them at 350°.
