Description
Chef John’s Boston Baked Beans are a hearty, flavorful dish made with tender navy beans, molasses, brown sugar, and mustard, perfect for family dinners, BBQs, or holiday meals.
Ingredients
1 pound dry navy beans
6 cups water
1 pinch baking soda
1 bay leaf
1 yellow onion, diced
⅓ cup molasses
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Place navy beans in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak overnight.
- Drain beans and place them in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with 6 cups water, baking soda, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the beans, saving the cooking liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Place beans in a clean Dutch oven and add the diced onion, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper. Pour in enough of the reserved bean-cooking liquid to cover the beans. Stir everything together.
- Cover the Dutch oven and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Check the liquid level, adding more reserved cooking liquid if needed to keep the beans covered. Return the pot to the oven and continue baking until the beans are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C). Uncover the beans and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top develops a flavorful crust.
Notes
- This recipe is vegetarian-friendly as is, but you can add a spicy kick by incorporating a chopped jalapeño or some hot sauce.
- For a different twist, swap the molasses with maple syrup for a sweeter version.
- To speed up the process, cook the beans in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours after soaking the beans.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
