Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans is an easy and delicious way to make ordinary canned baked beans taste as though you made them from scratch!
There are two times a year that side dishes are almost as important as the main course: Summer get-togethers and Thanksgiving. Summer is for kicking back and taking it easy so who wants to fuss too much?
If you love the convenience of canned baked beans but find them lacking in homemade flavor the way I do, my Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans are an easy way to dress them up to make them taste as though you started from scratch!
The flavor base in canned baked beans is already there but with a little help with simple ingredients you may already have on hand, no one will ever know you started with a store-bought convenience item!
How to make Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans:
- Start with four 16.5-ounce or two 28-ounce cans of original recipe canned baked beans such as Bush’s.
- Gather up the rest of the ingredients:
- Bacon
- Onion
- Molasses
- Spicy brown mustard (can substitute yellow mustard)
- Worcestershire
- Brown sugar
- Ketchup
- A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar for a touch of tanginess is optional and not shown.
- Brown the bacon and cook the onion.
- Combine everything in a 4-quart baking dish. Save a little bacon to sprinkle over the top.
- The Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans can be assembled up to two days ahead of time. If making ahead, simply refrigerate covered until needed.
- When needed, bake uncovered for one hour or until hot, bubbling and the top is caramelized. Yessssss…….like this!
- Garnish with the reserved bacon…
- And let everyone dig in! Don’t forget to be safe when getting together and STAY HEALTHY!
More great summery side dishes for your next get-together!
- Mediterranean Farro Salad
- Yogurt Ranch Cucumber Salad
- Easy Fresh Tomato Salad
- Cool and Creamy Potato Salad
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
- Quinoa Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables
- Tuscan Cherry Tomato and White Bean Salad
Helpful tools and equipment:
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Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans
Kicked-Up Canned Baked Beans is an easy and delicious way to make ordinary canned baked beans taste as though you made them from scratch!
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, for pan
- 6 slices of bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 (16.5-ounce) or 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans, original recipe such as Bush's
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2-3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 4-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the bacon in a skillet or saute pan and cook 4-5 minutes over medium heat until rendered and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Place the onion in the skillet and cook 5-6 minutes or until very soft. If the pan gets dry, add 1-2 tablespoons water and continue cooking until the onions are cooked to a soft stage.
- Add the beans to the skillet along with the remaining ingredients, starting with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed. Add the apple cider vinegar if using.
- Transfer beans to the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until bubbling and the top is caramelized.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD: Beans can be assembled to the point of baking up to 2 days ahead. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking or add additional baking time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 328mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 4g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Ruth says
Making this tomorrow for Independence Day.
Carol says
Hi, Ruth, Hope you enjoy! Have a great holiday weekend!
Traci B says
I am hosting a few friends around our pool for 4th of July and plan to do my BBQ Pulled Pork in a crockpot and would like to do my Baked Beans in a crockpot, as well. Do you have any suggestions of how to do this so I can make the beans ahead of time and heat them in the crockpot until time for service. Thank you!
Carol says
Hi, Traci, Thanks so much for your question. You can get it all prepped today and just get it in your slow cooker tomorrow. If you have the room, you can even store it in the insert and refrigerate it. Before you start to heat the beans, let it sit out at room temperature a bit so you don’t crack your insert from any temperature change. When doing them in a slow cooker, you won’t get the nice, caramelized top and they’ll probably be a little more watery. Four hours on HIGH should heat them through. You can always hold them on the warm setting then. Thanks again and hope everyone enjoys!