Sweet and Savory Michigan Baked Beans

Sweet and Savory Michigan Baked Beans

Course Side Dish, Healthy Recipe
Cuisine American
Keyword maple syrup, apple cider, dried beans

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ cups Dried Michigan navy or white kidney beans 
  • 3 slices bacon chopped (omit if making vegan) 
  • ¼ cup onion minced 
  • ½ cup tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup molasses 
  • ¼ cup brown sugar  
  • ¼ cup Michigan maple syrup 
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 
  • 2 tsp dry mustard 
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • ½ cup water

Instructions

Bean Preparation

  • To prepare beans by soaking, follow the traditional or quick method which can be found here
  • To prepare beans in an Instant Pot, follow the video guidelines here.

Baked Beans

  • Preheat oven to 300°F. 
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add in the chopped bacon and onion.
  • Cook until onions begin to soften and bacon is slightly crisp, about 6 minutes.
  • Drain off excess fat.In a medium bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, salt, apple juice and water.
  • Stir in bacon and onion mixture and cooked beans.
  • Mix gently to combine.
  • Pour bean mixture into a 2-quart oven-safe dish.
  • Beans should be covered in the liquid mixture. If needed, a bit more water can be added.
  • Cover dish with foil or an oven-safe lid.
  • Bake covered for 2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30-45 minutes, until thickened.