Old Fashioned Boston Baked Beans
These Old-Fashioned Boston Baked Beans are the real deal—no shortcuts, just deep, slow-simmered flavor. Sweet, savory, and rich, they’re the side dish that steals the show!
Servings: 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans
- 12 ounce package bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ⅛ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort dried beans. Remove any discolored or broken beans and any pebbles.
- Place beans in a large bowl, cover with cold water. Let sit overnight.
- Pour beans and soaking liquid into a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours until tender.
- Drain beans and reserve liquid.
- Spray a 3 quart baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray. Add half of the beans, then add half the bacon and half of the onions on top.
- Add another layer of remaining beans, bacon and onions.
- In a medium saucepan, add brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Stir and bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Pour molasses mixture over the beans along with enough reserved liquid to just cover the beans.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 ½ hours, remove foil and continue to bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours longer, checking every half hour and adding additional reserved liquid, if needed, so beans do not dry out.
Notes
- Don’t skip the overnight soak—it softens the beans and helps them cook evenly.
- As the beans bake, keep an eye on the liquid level. Add more reserved bean water as needed to keep them moist and saucy.
- Stick to the lower temp and longer baking time. It’s what gives these from-scratch baked beans their classic texture and flavor—totally worth the wait!