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These truly are the best baked beans. They are one of my most requested recipes at our neighborhood potlucks!
Some of our other favorite side dishes for a summer BBQ include this yummy coleslaw. It’s perfect with baked beans. This broccoli salad is also a staple at our house in the summer. And this Corn and Blueberry Salad may seem like a strange combo but trust me on this one – it’s delish! You can find all my side dishes here.
Favorite Side Dish
This recipe came from my husband’s Aunt Dawn and has been a family favorite for decades! If you have a BBQ potluck planned for the holiday weekend this is the perfect thing to make! What makes these baked beans so special? A lot of things including brown sugar, bacon, onion, and ketchup.
How to Make Baked Beans
One of the tricks to wonderful beans is baking them for a long time. These beans bake for 3 hours so be sure and plan ahead. I use my nice heavy Le Creuset pan. Any kind of dutch oven with a lid will work well.
- Place all the ingredients into a large, heavy pan.
- Stir to combine.
- After mixing all the ingredients together place sliced green pepper rings on top.
- Bake for 3 hours at 350 degrees F.
You can bake them with the lid on or the lid off. They will get thicker if you bake with the lid off. Sometimes I bake them half the time with the lid on and half the time with the lid off, if I can remember to take the lid off! So if you like your baked beans thick, bake with the lid off. If you like them runnier, bake with the lid on.
Baked beans are a frequent menu item at our house during the summer – a great side dish for all those fun barbecues you have during the summer.
We love to serve these baked beans with:
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Baked Beans Recipe
Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2 28 oz. cans pork and beans or baked beans
- 1/2 lb. chopped bacon uncooked
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 bottle ketchup 24 oz.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 green pepper cut into rings
Instructions
- Stir and combine first six ingredients
- Then place green pepper rings on top
- Bake 350 degrees for 3 hours uncovered (I cover)
Sara says
This was my Mom’s recipe for baked beans also! She added 1 or 2 tablespoons of mustard, depending on the amount of beans. She also chopped up the peppers finely, as well as the onions. She left her bacon whole and placed it on top, but I chop mine up to place on top. After reading the reviews, I was dumbstruck! So many of us have the same recipe for baked beans, but yet I have never met anyone in my life who made the same recipe as you and the others that commented make. Being in the military, I’ve been in a lot of places too. The other people mostly use Bushes Baked Beans or Cowboy Beans with meat in them etc, etc. I have had so many different kinds of beans, but none were like all of us on the blog make. That is strange, but I am so happy to meet so many people of like minds! To me (and my family) these are the only baked beans to make. The beans are fabulous and compliment any sandwich, or can be eaten alone—-hot or cold. They are that good! Thank you for your giving spirit in sharing your recipes.
Carolyn says
I have pretty well the same ingredients, but I prefer to cut up my green pepper into small pieces. I also use some yellow mustard for tang and green onion for flavor. I have also played around lately not using the canned pork and beans, but just canned, drained and rinsed great northern beans and then adding my own ketchup and some Sweet Baby Ray’s. It turned out FANTASTIC! I think even better than using the canned pork and beans.
Darnell Nichol says
How many could you serve with one recipe please… These are just what I’m looking for… Serving 40… Thanks so much
Terry says
I have been making the same Baked Beans for years, EXCEPT I precook the bacon, onion and green pepper until they are carmelized. And then I add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. Everyone loves them.
Leigh Anne says
I like the ideaof carmelizing – think I will try it this weekend.
Terri says
Leigh Ann, do you use 2 cans of each bean, pork and beans and bakeded beans, or either or.
Thanks trying this recipe this weekend
Leigh Anne says
Sorry for the delay in responsing to your comment, just saw it! Just 2 cans of either one.