Skip to main content

Southern baked beans

Have you ever had pork and beans that were so scrumptious that you keep going back for more? How about a pan of pork and beans which were hearty enough to be the star of the meal? In the South the beans defiantly steal the show, its almost every meal and every form of bean you can imagine. The bean is an amazingly healthily and affordable food staple. For example beans have no saturated or trans-fat. Did you know that a 1/2 cup serving of beans have 7 grams of fiber and 6 of protein, making them a very good food choice? However; when you begin adding ingredients you also add calories .Myself, I make really low calorie recipes and high calorie recipes so in the end I justify it by balance, everything in moderation is our motto.

Ingredients

1 lb beef (lean ground chuck, browned and drained)
2 cn beans (pork and beans, 12 oz cans)
1⁄4 c molasses (best original grandma's molasses)
1⁄2 onion (red onion, diced)
1⁄2 c brown sugar (light)
1⁄2 t salt (kosher salt)
1⁄4 t pepper (freshly ground)
1 t mustard (spicy brown mustard)
2 t hot pepper sauce (Louisiana hot sauce)
1 lb bacon (smoked bakon, diced and partially cooked)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Spray a 13x9x3 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet brown ground chuck and onion, drain the fat.
  4. To a large mixing bowl add ground chuck and onion mixture, molasses, pork & beans, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, hot sauce and ½ of the par cooked bacon stir well.
  5. Pour the mixture into baking dish and top off with remaining bacon.
  6. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and bacon crispy.
  7. Stand for 10 minutes before serving. 
Total time
1 hour, 5 minutes
Cooking time
45
Preparation time
20
Yield
8 servings

Notes

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania I thought pork and beans were always cooked in a pot on the top of the stove sometimes with a little brown sugar and ketchup and call it a side. O, What I lesson I learned moving to the South fifteen years ago. I am going to give you a recipe that I make that stands alone with so much Southern charm it will soon become a staple in your home.

Let me first start by saying what an injustice it is to cook pork and beans on the stove, the oven is the only way to go. Southerners are known for their hearty meals, fancy desserts and elaborate table scrapes and using full fat ingredients. The following recipe is not for the dieter! The women and men of the South make some of the best comfort food known to man. Sunday is for rest and big family get-togethers -everyone is family in the South- all things are done with true Southern charm. I must ask the question, could we all learn a lesson from the south? The answer is yes! Life is just too short not to stop and enjoy what is important... FAMILY, GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD OLE SOUTHERN FOOD! So with out further ado the recipe to follow is the South at its best, enjoy!!!

Source

North American cuisine

Would you imagine that people in the state next to you has a different way to prepare baked beans? They probably do.

About the author

Melinda is is twice a winner. She was one of the runner ups to our summer contest for BBQ complements and won the autumn contest fair and square with her traditional recipe Southern kicken chicken with a sweet jacket. Instead of a second interview, Melinda sent us another charming recipe to go with All Foods Natural October 2008 bean cuisine theme contest.