These baked beans with bacon take simple ingredients and transform them into the ultimate side dish. It has super crispy bacon, tender veggies, and beans smothered in an irresistible homemade barbecue sauce. Every bite is exploding with flavor, and this might just be the best baked beans recipe ever!
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The Best Easy Baked Beans
Bacon makes everything better, so you know this baked beans recipe has to be good. It's made with a simple yet flavorful combination of crispy bacon, tender beans, and caramelized peppers and onions. All of that is baked in a savory, sweet, tangy sauce that's basically the best BBQ sauce you'll ever have!
It's so hearty and filling that it can make a meal all by itself. But these baked beans are also the perfect side dish for summer cookouts, the holidays, or a comfort food meal. You can serve them with things like beef back ribs, baked porks steaks, turkey pot pie with biscuits, or 4 ingredient pasta salad.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's a one pan meal. Everything for these bacon baked beans cooks in the same pan, so the entire process is simple, and clean-up is easy too.
The sauce is to die for. You won't find a better sauce for baked beans than the one in this recipe. From the sweet brown sugar to the tangy mustard and rich molasses, it's perfect.
It's customizable. You can add in or take away anything that you want from this recipe. It's super versatile, and you can change up the flavor to make it different every time.
Ingredients Needed
- Bacon- cut into slices.
- Sweet onion and green bell pepper- diced for flavor.
- Ketchup- for the base of the sauce.
- Brown sugar and molasses- for a hint of sweetness that's addictive.
- Mustard- to add a slight tang to the sauce.
- Pork and beans- one can.
- Ciboulette- finely chopped.
How To Make Baked Beans with Bacon
1. Prep work: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
2. Cook the bacon: Add the bacon to the hot skillet and cook for a few minutes until the bacon starts to get golden brown and crispy. Remove it and set it aside for later.
3. Cook the veggies: In the same skillet, use the bacon fat to cook the onion and green bell pepper. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until the veggies soften and the onion is translucent.
4. Build the sauce: To the skillet, add the canned baked beans, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and cooked bacon. Mix everything together until it fully combines.
5. Bake and serve: Put the skillet in the oven or transfer the bean mixture to a casserole dish. Bake the beans for about 20 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips To Make The Best Recipe
- Swap pork and beans for any other types of beans you want, like pinto beans or navy beans, for a different flavor.
- Experiment with adding ingredients to the sauce, like apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, or green chiles, if you want to change the flavor.
- Bake the beans in a baking dish if you don't have an oven-safe skillet.
- Don't skip using the bacon grease to cook the veggies. Trust me, it adds a ton of flavor!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the fridge: Store leftover sweet baked beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
In the freezer: Allow the leftovers to cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze the for up to 3 months.
Reheating: Transfer leftovers to a skillet over medium heat and cook until the beans are fully reheated. You can also microwave them in 20-second increments for a quicker method.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you cook bacon before putting it in beans?
Yes, you should cook bacon before putting it in beans if you want it to be extra crispy and flavorful. Cook the bacon in the same skillet you're cooking everything else in for the best flavor.
What to add to canned beans to make them taste better?
You can add all sorts of ingredients to make canned beans taste better, like sautéed onion green peppers, a sauce, dark brown sugar, liquid smoke flavor, or chili powder.
What meat to eat with baked beans?
Baked beans go great with barbecue meat, like these BBQ chicken sliders or these boneless pork ribs. They're also delicious with things like these French onion pork chops, shake and bake chicken, or meatloaf with stuffing.
More Recipes
- Bacon wrapped armadillo eggs
- Grandma Brown's baked beans
- Baked bean casserole
- Butter beans
- Charro beans
- Southern style pinto beans
Baked Beans with Bacon
These baked beans with bacon take simple ingredients and transform them into the ultimate side dish. It has super crispy bacon, tender veggies, and beans smothered in an irresistible homemade barbecue sauce. Every bite is exploding with flavor, and this might just be the best baked beans recipe ever!
Ingredients
- ½ cup bacon slices
- ½ sweet onion, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. molasses
- 1 tsp. mustard
- 1 can pork and beans
- 2 tbsp. ciboulette, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium and add the bacon. Cook for a few minutes or until it starts to get golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, use the bacon drippings to cook the onion and green bell pepper - cook for about 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft.
- Add the beans, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, and mustard. Mix well.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for around 20 minutes.
- Top with ciboulette and serve on toast or alone.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 9g
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