American
Baked Beans
Canned navy beans bake in a sauce of bacon, onion, molasses, ketchup, and mustard. The oven thickens the sauce and browns the top without a long soak.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Canned navy beans are already tender, so the oven time is for the sauce, not for softening dried beans.
- Bacon fat carries the onion and keeps the sauce from tasting only of ketchup.
- Molasses and brown sugar brown at 325°F without burning as fast as a hotter oven.
- A loosely covered dish keeps the beans moist, then an uncovered finish thickens the top.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 325°F.
- 2
Cook the bacon in an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until the fat renders and the pieces are crisp, about 8 minutes. Move the bacon to a plate.
- 3
Cook the onion in the bacon fat over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the navy beans, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and kosher salt. Fold the bacon back in.
- 5
Bring the beans to a simmer on the stove, about 3 minutes.
- 6
Cover and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.
- 7
Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and the top is darkened. Rest 5 minutes, then serve.
Pro tips
- Drain the beans well. Extra can liquid makes the sauce thin even after baking.
- If the top is still pale after 15 minutes uncovered, give it 5 more minutes, watching so the sugar does not scorch.
- A wider skillet browns more surface than a deep pot.
Easy substitutions
- Navy beans
- Great Northern beans
- Molasses
- Maple syrup
- Bacon
- 4 oz diced salt pork, rendered the same way
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container up to 4 days.
Reheating
Warm in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot. Add a splash of water if the sauce is tight. Or cover and reheat at 325°F until bubbling.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 284
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 8 g
Budget friendly · Oven, Stovetop
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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