Homemade Baked Beans, My Great-Grandmother's Recipe

Baked beans, grilled sausages, and brown bread.

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Homemade Baked Beans, My Great-Grandmother's Recipe

A true New England dish! Mamie's Homemade Baked Beans are made from scratch with just six ingredients, yet are tender and rich with flavor from molasses and bacon.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 30

Overnight soak8

Total Time10 45

Course: Fall Dish, Side Dish, Summer Side Dish, Thanksgiving, Winter Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 289kcal

Author: Nancy Mock

Ingredients

1 pound dried Great Northern beans
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoons salt
4 strips smoky bacon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Soak beans overnight:

Pour the dried beans into a large pot and cover them with cold water. Cover the pot and leave the beans to soak at room temperature overnight.

Cook the beans:

Drain the beans and then return them to the pot. Cover the beans with fresh water and stir in the teaspoon of baking soda.
Bring the water to a boil, then simmer the beans for 10 minutes.
Drain the beans once more and return them to the pot. Cover them again with fresh water and bring the water to a boil.
Lower the temperature to keep the water a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and gently simmer the beans until they're tender, about 80 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; then, drain the beans,

Prepare the beans:

Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Pour the cooked beans into the baking dish. Add in the molasses, dry mustard, salt, and a ½ cup of the reserved cooking water. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently stir everything together.
Finally, lay the strips of bacon over the top of the beans.

Bake:

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pan in the oven and bake the beans for 1 hour.
Check the beans once or twice during baking—if they seem to be getting too dry, pour in a little more reserved cooking water.
When they're done, uncover the pan and discard the bacon strips. (They won't have any flavor left; all the flavor goes into the beans!)
The baked beans can be served immediately, or you can let them cool and enjoy them at room temperature. Makes about 10 servings

Store:

Once the baked beans are cool, cover the pan tightly with food wrap; or, transfer the baked beans to resealable containers. Store the baked beans in the fridge for up to five days.

Freeze:

The baked beans can be frozen for longer storage. Transfer them to a freezer-proof container, leaving just a little space at the top. Cover the dish tightly and store the beans in the freezer for up to two months.
To thaw, place the baked beans in the fridge to defrost for several hours or overnight. You can reheat them in a covered dish in the oven or in short bursts in the microwave.

Notes

Look for dried Great Northern beans at grocery stores or online. This recipe hasn't been tested with other types of beans.
If you'd prefer the old-fashioned approach, replace the bacon with a hunk of salt pork or a ham hock nestled into the beans.

Nutrition