Now that the weather is finally hinting that summer may indeed come this year, I’ve been craving many foods that I associate with summer: Baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, etc.
Of course, there’s no need to wait for our first BBQ or picnic to eat these foods, so I made some slow cooker baked beans to accompany cheeseburgers for dinner.
Ingredients
(Adapted from this recipe.)
- 1 1/2 cups dried navy beans
- 4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and coarsely crumbled
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup Pomi strained tomatoes or 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
Pick through the beans and remove any rocks or other debris. Rinse and soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Discard the soaking water and rinse the beans. Place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook on low for approximately 8-9 hours. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Notes
During my early adult years I always cooked with canned beans. I’m so glad I learned to soak and cook my own beans because the results are amazing. Once you’ve tried a recipe like this, you won’t go back to canned varieties! These baked beans have such a rich flavor that is slightly sweet and slightly tangy. We love them!
You’ll want to keep an eye on the beans as they cook because they may start to get a little dry. If they do, add a bit of water (I had to add about ½ cup water in the last hours of cooking). This recipe makes 6-8 side dish-sized servings of beans, so you’ll want to double the recipe if making them for a crowd. Baked beans are very versatile, so be sure to customize them to your taste preferences. Use molasses instead of maple syrup, add green bell pepper or mustard, etc. Enjoy!
How do you customize your baked beans?
Shared on the following link-ups:
Whatever Goes Wednesday, One Project at a Time, Living Proverbs 31, Frugal Crafty Home, Making Your Home Sing, Weekend Potluck & Creativity Unleashed.
Another great addition to this mix is would be Cilantro. Just a little added flavor. I am a lover of beans and the nutrients in them! Thanks for the post! They look awesome!
Oooh, cilantro. I’ve never used cilantro in beans, but I use it in a lot of other dishes. I’ll give it a try sometime.
Everyone has always loved my baked beans–at least I thought so. My husband of 34 years saw this recipe and subtly suggested I try it.
Wanting to try a new recipe doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t like your old one. 🙂
It’s always nice to be able to prepare a popular dish in a variety of ways.
Beans are so delicious and so easy to make. Nothing beats the slow cooker.
Yes, the slow cooker is my favorite way to cook beans. It’s so easy!
These look amazing! I’m pinning!
They are pretty tasty! I hope you enjoy them.
Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home
Hi Shannon, Thanks so much for coming by and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate every one of them. I hope that you get a chance to make my lemon blueberry bread pudding. It’s light and so so good.
Your baked beans look amazing! They look just like the ones that my aunt makes for all our family gatherings. They’re amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Have a great week,
Suzanne
As soon as I get some blueberries I will try the bread pudding!
Thanks for stopping by!
Stopped by from the A proverbs 31 wife is his crown linkup. One of my favorite things to eat are beans then chili. Great! my husband makes his beans with some Moroccan spices and they are fab. Thanks for the recipe, i used to know how to do it. lost all my recipes long long ago. I am still on the look out for a old fashion chilli recipe. lite spice and a little soupy. I remember such basic ingredients and yet i can’t get a good recipe to taste good. a post will be fine. My neighbor keeps promising me to make them.
I bet they’d be tasty with Moroccan spices!