Southern Baked Beans

Round up the family, preheat the oven and whip up my Mama’s Southern Baked Beans! Made with ingredients like brown sugar, aromatics, and barbecue sauce, my Mama’s Southern Baked Beans are smoky and sweet in all the best ways. Nothing goes better with Summer BBQ than our BEST family baked bean recipe!  If you love beans, definitely try these Pinto Beans and this Red Beans and Rice!!

This week, I’m all about the grill baby! Bust out last Summer’s leftover coals and crank the grill on high because we’re getting this party started. From BBQ Baby Back Ribs to Marinated Spatchcock Chicken, I’m putting the grill to work and pumping out this Summer’s greatest grilled grub.

But wait, I’m not stopping there y’all! What’s a Southern style BBQ without a few tempting, mouth-watering sides? So, today I’m sharing a sacred recipe: Mama’s Southern Baked Beans! Smoky, sticky, sweet and tender, these beans go hand in hand with rich, grilled meat.

I can’t recall a childhood BBQ where my Mama’s beans weren’t center stage with her grilled catfish and steak. After you’ve tried this recipe, you won’t dare throw another BBQ without them either!

HISTORY OF SOUTHERN BAKED BEANS

Our favorite variation of “American” Baked Beans originates back to Native American tribes, particularly the Iroquois, Narragansett and Penobscot. Their method involved taking soaked navy beans, mixing them with bear fat, adding maple syrup, then slowly cooking them in clay or deer-skin pots over fire. Cool, huh?

Almost every culture around the world has their own version of a stewed or baked bean dish. From Cuban Black Beans to French Cassoulet, folks have been cooking up luscious, savory beans for centuries!

HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN BAKED BEANS

Alright y’all, this may be the simplest recipe I have ever published on this blog. I mean, just by tossing together a few ingredients and leaving them to bake for about an hour, you’ve the perfect savory-sweet side! I promise, this recipe will become this Summer’s go-to addition to any weeknight or celebratory BBQ dinner.

Here’s what we’re gonna today:

• Vegetarian Baked Beans- canned baked beans are often cooked in a tangy sauce seasoned with brown sugar and a variety of spices. The result is a rich, full-flavored batch of navy beans that serve as the perfect base for this recipe.
• Light Brown Sugar- added brown sugar thickens the mixture while adding a deeper, more decadent sweetness.
• Finely Diced Onion- when cooked, onions become sweet while retaining their pungent nature.
• Finely Diced Green Pepper- peppers add a subtle spice and a delightful bite.
• Barbecue Sauce- a couple tablespoons darkens the color of the beans and layers in smoky, spicy flavor.
• Yellow Mustard- mustard offers a tang that introduces balance to our heavily-sweetened mixture.
• Optional: Bacon or Crumbled Ground Beef- this recipe is great as is, but if you’re looking to beef it up adding meat is great. Bacon (or ground beef) offers a substance and rich flavor that I absolutely love!

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH BAKED BEANS?

If left to my own devices, I could scarf down an entire bowl of Mama’s Baked Beans faster than you can say “bundt cake”. Seriously, I wouldn’t judge if you ate a few spoonfuls straight out of the pot! But, if you’re looking to put together a spread, I got you.

Mama’s Southern Baked Beans are best served alongside hot, smoky BBQ and a couple other classic Southern sides. Try out a few of my downright delicious recipes below:

• BEEF RIBS
• BABY BACK RIBS
• GRILLED RIBEYE STEAK W/ TEQUILA BBQ GLAZE
• BROWN BUTTER HONEY CORNBREAD

GRANDBABY CAKES’ BEST BEANS

Beans are an excellent source of dietary fiber, protein, B vitamins and many other important vitamins and minerals! Not only can beans help to reduce blood sugar and improve cholesterol but they help maintain a healthy gut.

This week, shoot for a more well-balanced (and delicious) diet by stirring up a big ‘ole pot of Grandbaby Cakes’ BEST Southern bean recipes:

• SOUTHERN PINTO BEANS WITH HAM HOCKS
• THE BEST RED BEANS AND RICE
• HOPPIN’ JOHN
• SOUTHERN BLACK EYED PEAS

Mama’s Southern Baked Beans

Made with ingredients like brown sugar, aromatics, and barbecue sauce, my Mama's Southern Baked Beans are smoky and sweet in all the best ways.

4.62 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 63kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 (28 oz) cans vegetarian baked beans my mom uses Bush's Beans
• ▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
• ▢ 1/4 cup very finely diced onion
• ▢ 1/4 cup very finely diced green pepper
• ▢ 2 tbsp barbecue sauce we used Sweet Baby Ray's
• ▢ 1 tsp yellow mustard

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Pour beans into a large casserole dish.
• Mix in brown sugar, onion, green pepper, barbecue sauce and yellow mustard until combined.
• Bake uncovered at 60 minutes or until super bubbly.
• Stir beans together, rest for 10 minutes then serve.

Notes

If you want to add ground beef, simply season, crumble and cook it then drain and add to your bean mixture before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

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