I never really enjoyed beans until I started dating Andrew, but the one exception was baked beans. There's something about cooking beans in bacon fat and sugary goodness that makes them palatable to me. This is a yummy recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe that I tweaked a bit because the first time we made them, they were too sweet for Andrew's taste.
They kinda taste like all your favorite scraps on your plate at a barbecue got mixed together and cooked with beans. I know that probably sounds disgusting but if part of you actually thought that sounded good, we need to eat together sometime.
Calico Baked Beans
(Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
- 1 16-oz can red pinto beans or red kidney beans
- 1 15-oz can cannellini or white kidney beans
- 1 15-oz can black beans
- 8 oz bacon, chopped into 2-inch sections
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish.
- Drain and rinse all beans and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, leaving about 1 tbsp bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- While onions are cooking, combine ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar, salt, vinegar, water, and cornstarch in a bowl.
- Combine beans, cooked bacon, onions, and sauce in baking dish and stir to combine.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45-60 min.
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