Indeed they are! High in fiber, low in fat, and (mostly) just plain tasty!
Obviously, they’re best if started from dried, soaked, then boiled, then seasoned and slowly cooked until they’ve reached silky soft, tasty perfection.
But, I don’t always have time for that, so, when I can turn a decent can of baked beans from the market can be turned into a nice dinner addition in under an hour, I call that a very good thing.
By the way, this post is meant to take nothing away from Wicked Simple Baked Beans, which are also very good (and, indeed wicked simple), but which start by assuming you’ve made and stashed some bacon jam in the freezer.
Ermmm, not a bad idea, by the way.
No, these very good (and also wicked simple) baked beans are made with handy pantry staples – tho’ I will admit they are made better with my own versions of two of those staples…
INGREDIENTS
•1 (16 oz) can baked beans
•2 tbsp brown sugar
•2 tbsp chili sauce
•1/2 tsp dry mustard
•1-1/2 tsp sherry peppers sauce (or, you could use Tiger Sauce or hot sauce)
•1-1/2 tsp maple syrup
A note on maple syrup: only use the real thing, not that wooden hut corn syrup stuff; but for baking and cooking, do try Grade B syrup. It may not be that much cheaper than Grade A, but you’ll get a might more flavor.
Heat your oven to 350º.
Empty the can of beans into an oven-safe, lidded casserole.
Stir in the remaining ingredients until nicely mixed, then cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 or 20 minutes, until the liquid has thickened a bit and is nicely bubbling.
That’s it!
I served these in a way my pepé would’ve approved of; with Polish sausage braised in butter, onion, garlic, and beer.
Tho’, in place of the brown bread from a can (you kinda had to be there back in the day for that), we had tots.
And yes, it was good.