Boston Baked Beans
This recipe takes baked beans to a new level! Though working with dried beans might seem labor-intensive, this dish doesn’t require pre-soaking and most of the cooking is done in the oven. Navy beans are first boiled in water and baking soda to soften them, before they’re baked with molasses, mustard, and apple cider vinegar for two hours to create a depth of flavor that will make this the star of your next BBQ.
Tips and Tricks
What if I can’t find navy beans?
Though navy beans are the ‘traditional’ bean to use for this dish, any other white bean would be fine: cannellini or great Northern. They’ll react the same way to the baking soda and the finished dish won’t taste any different.
Worcestershire Sauce
This recipe provides a quick and simple replacement for Worcestershire Sauce. That said, if you have it on hand, or have a vegan version you’d prefer to try instead, feel free to skip this section and use what you have.
Taste Test
This dish is easy to adjust how you like. Add more molasses, mustard, vinegar, or brown sugar as needed. It’s best you do this before baking so the flavors come out exactly how you want.
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried navy beans, rinsed (can substitute with great northern or cannellini)
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cups water
5 tbsp brown sugar
5 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsps cider vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
Homemade vegan Worcestershire sauce:
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ketchup
½ tbsp soy sauce
dash of hot sauce
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder
Directions:
Start by rinsing your beans thoroughly, then placing them in a Dutch oven (or another oven-proof cooking pan with a lid) along with 12 cups of water. Add the baking soda and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or medium-low to let it simmer for another 20 minutes. You’ll notice that some of the beans will lose their outer shell.
Drain the beans and rinse them thoroughly. Rinse out your Dutch oven as well before returning to the stove.
While the beans are cooking in the baking soda, you can make your vegan Worcestershire sauce. (*If you already have a vegan Worcestershire sauce you’d prefer to use, or if you are fine with regular Worcestershire sauce, then you can skip this step*)
Mix together the apple cider vinegar, the ketchup, and soy sauce, then add the hot sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Mix thoroughly, then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Over medium heat, add the vegetable oil to the Dutch oven. Once hot, add in the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the water, beans, molasses, your Worcestershire sauce mixture, 1 tablespoon of the Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of the apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir together and bring everything to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cover the pan and place in the oven to bake for an hour and a half.
After the hour and a half is up, take the lid off the pan and let the beans bake for another 30 minutes.
When done, take the beans out of the oven. Add the remaining tablespoon of mustard and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar vinegar. Taste test and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Enjoy!
