Molasses Baked Beans
Serves 12, as a side dish
Adapted from Recipe Tin Eats
5 ounces of bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
3x 14 ounce cans of white beans, drained and rinsed (I use great northern beans, but cannellini, navy beans, and white kidney beans all work)
¾ cup ketchup
¾ cup tomato puree (I couldn’t find tomato puree, so I mixed ¼ cup tomato paste and added enough water to make ¾ cup)
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon mustard (I use Dijon)
1½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat a large Dutch oven, or cooking pot, over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 2 minutes. Add onion and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add in the garlic and cook until the onion starts to golden and the bacon starts to crisp, about 2-3 more minutes.
Add the white beans, ketchup, tomato puree, molasses, apple cider vinegar, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper, to taste. Give everything a good mix until well combined. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking. Bring everything to a simmer, put the lid on, and reduce the heat to low.
Let the pot simmer on the stove for an hour, stirring occasionally, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
If the sauce is too liquidy for your liking, remove the lid and let the pot simmer until it’s reached your preferred thickness. If the sauce is too dry, add a bit of water and mix everything together.
If you’re looking for a good dish pairing, try these Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joe’s.
Enjoy!
