Homemade Baked Beans make a hearty stick-to-the-ribs meal. Add some homemade bread or biscuits along with molasses and a simple yet tasty meal awaits. I originally published my traditional Baked Beans in Maple Syrup recipe in 2012 and that recipe can be accessed by clicking here. My newest recipe, Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce, differs from my original recipe in that the yellow eye beans are slowly baked in a sweet and savory tomato-based sauce giving them a lovely rich flavor and reddish-brown color.
Baked Beans make a very economical dish and freeze well for reheating later in the microwave. For those wanting to prep make-ahead meals for the freezer, Baked Beans is one to make.
Making homemade Baked Beans is not difficult although it is a process and some time has to be dedicated to it. The beans have to be soaked in water overnight (or at least for 8 hours), pre-cooked for 45 minutes or so, then slowly baked in the oven for about 3 hours. Once the beans are in the oven, though, it’s pretty much hands off as they basically take care of themselves, save for needing a couple of stirs and possibly some additional liquid. So, a bit of planning is required and you do need to remember to soak the dried beans the night before you plan to make the Baked Beans.
This recipe calls for yellow eye beans. I find they cook better and are not as hard as are dark beans, for example. Soaking the dried beans overnight, or for at least 8 hours or so, rehydrates and softens them thus lessening the pre-cooking and baking times. Expect the beans to expand to double or triple their size in the soaking process.
The soaking process also allows the beans to absorb the liquid as they rehydrate thus aiding them to cook evenly and hold their shape when baked (i.e., they will be less likely to split open or become mushy).
You may find that there will be a few beans that will split either during the pre-cooking or the baking stage and that is normal. However, for the most part, the beans should hold their bean-shaped form throughout the entire process.
To soak the beans, put them in a large bowl and ensure they are completely covered with water then add another 2-3 cups of water. Cover and let the beans stand, undisturbed, for a minimum of 8 hours.
The recipe calls for two cups of tomato sauce. I use my own homemade tomato sauce (photo above and recipe here) but any tomato sauce of choice can be used. I always save the cooking liquid from the beans and I add one cup of it along with the two cups of tomato sauce when I initially prepare the beans for the oven. I also reserve the remainder of the liquid because beans will continue to absorb liquid as they bake and the sauce will cook down so, depending on how runny or thick you like Baked Beans, more liquid may need to be added during the baking process. I generally check and stir the beans every 50-60 minutes as they bake and add additional reserved liquid if and as required. If you drain the beans and forget to reserve the cooking liquid, water can be used in its place in the sauce for the beans.
This recipe does not call for a lot of ingredients. Essentially, in addition to the beans and tomato sauce, it’s really nothing more than sweetener in the way of maple syrup, molasses, and brown sugar, a bit of onion, some dry ground mustard, a dash of ground ginger, and a small amount of minced garlic. I like to use a blend of three sweetening agents in the Baked Beans because each has its own unique properties and contributes different flavor notes to the dish. Beans, on their own, don’t have a lot of flavor so it is the sweet and savory sauce that makes them so darn tasty.
I recommend baking the beans in a 3-quart Dutch Oven or similar vessel of the same size. There is a fair amount of liquid in this recipe and, depending on preference, more liquid may be added as the beans bake so, to avoid any potential boil-over, a 3-quart Dutch Oven or casserole is a good size to use.
Salt pork, regular bacon, or cut-up wieners can certainly be added to the Baked Beans even though my recipe does not specifically call for meat. I prefer just the beans but that is a personal preference and meats can certainly be added, if desired.
Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound yellow eye beans
4 cups cold water
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup reserved liquid from cooked beans
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground mustard
dash ground ginger
salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
Place beans in large bowl. Add enough cold water to completely cover the beans plus an additional 2-3 cups. Cover. Soak beans overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Drain soaked beans in colander. Discard water. Place beans in large heavy-bottom pot and add 4 cups fresh cold water. Bring beans just barely to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and fork-testing beans for doneness. Beans should still be firm when pierced with a fork but not hard when cooked nor should they be mushy; they should still hold their bean-shaped form. Do not overcook or beans will become mushy and lose their shape.
Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.
Drain the beans in large colander, reserving the liquid. Set liquid aside. Rinse the beans with cold water and drain well. Place beans in 3-quart Dutch Oven or casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients into a large measuring cup or bowl. Whisk or stir well to mix sauce ingredients and then add to the beans. Stir beans and sauce gently until well combined.
Bake, covered, for about 3 hours or until beans are fork-tender. Check beans 2-3 times during baking to stir and add more reserved liquid if and as needed. Do not overbake or beans may become mushy.
Yield: Apx. 6-8 servings
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Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound yellow eye beans
- 4 cups cold water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup reserved liquid from cooked beans
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- dash ground ginger
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place beans in large bowl. Add enough cold water to completely cover the beans plus an additional 2-3 cups. Cover. Soak beans overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Drain soaked beans in colander. Discard water. Place beans in large heavy-bottom pot and add 4 cups fresh cold water. Bring beans just barely to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add 1/2 tsp baking soda. Cover and simmer for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and fork-testing beans for doneness. Beans should still be firm when pierced with a fork but not hard when cooked nor should they be mushy; they should still hold their bean-shaped form. Do not overcook or beans will become mushy and lose their shape.
- Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.
Drain the beans in large colander, reserving the liquid. Set liquid aside. Rinse the beans with cold water and drain well. Place beans in 3-quart Dutch Oven or casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients into a large measuring cup or bowl. Whisk or stir well to mix sauce ingredients and add to the beans. Stir beans and sauce gently until well combined.
- Bake, covered, for about 3 hours or until beans are fork-tender. Check beans 2-3 times during baking to stir and add more reserved liquid if and as needed. Do not overbake or beans may become mushy.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 6-8 servings
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