This recipe for Baked Beans with Brown Sugar features canned pork and beans, a sweet and savory sauce, and lots of crispy bacon. They are so easy to make, you’ll want to take them to every barbeque and potluck this summer!
For years, this was the only baked bean recipe I knew.
And that was good enough for me because it was pretty delicious.
Baked beans with brown sugar is one of my mom’s staple side dish recipes in the summer; we eat it at almost every barbeque family dinner.
And that’s because it’s so easy to make!
All you’ll need is a few cans of pork and beans and some common condiments and you’ll have a delicious side dish everyone will love.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook 4 slices of bacon in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat until crisp.
Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
Cook 1/2 cup of chopped onion in the bacon drippings until tender.
Combine cooked onions, 44 ounces of pork and beans slightly drained, 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons mustard, 3 tablespoons ketchup, and 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.
Pour bean mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish or use the cast iron skillet from cooking the bacon.
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with crumbled reserved bacon.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The original recipe calls for 2-16 ounce cans of pork and beans. That equals 32 ounces and never made quite enough beans for our family. Now I buy one large 28-ounce can and a small 16-ounce can to equal 44 ounces. You can make this recipe using 3-16 ounce cans or one large and small can (like what I do).
There’s a fine line between too much sauce and too little sauce with baked beans. I like to drain off the first bit of sauce in the pork and beans, but still leave some that it keeps the beans saucy.
If you don’t like onions, you can substitute 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder or one of these onion powder substitutes.
If you don’t have ketchup on hand, you can use one of these substitutes for ketchup.
More Like This
Looking for more delicious sides for your next barbeque or potluck? You’ll love these!
- Calico Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Bacon
- Tri Color Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
- BLT Salad with Avocado
- Tuna Rotini Pasta Salad
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
See even more recipes like these (plus mains, desserts, and drinks) at 25+ Family Summer Dinner Ideas.
FAQs
Baked beans go well with any picnic or barbeque main dish! A few that come to mind are:
Grilled chicken
Brisket
Pulled pork sandwiches
Sausage kabobs
Hamburgers
Hot dogs
Ribs
Fried chicken
Yes!
If you happen to have leftovers after a few days (this never happens in our family!) you can save your beans to eat at a later date by freezing them.
1. Allow the beans to cool down.
2. Pour them into a freezer-safe gallon bag, squeeze out as much air as you can and seal the bag.
3. Lay the bag flat in the freezer for easy defrosting later and keep for up to 6 months.
According the the USDA, beans are legumes that are classified under the vegetable category.
While they aren’t leafy or green like traditional vegetables, they are high in fiber, folate, and potassium.
So while you shouldn’t count baked beans as the only vegetable in your diet, you will get some dietary benefits from occasionally eating this tasty vegetable!
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Easy Baked Beans With Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 6 slices of bacon
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 44 ounces pork and beans, slightly drained
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook bacon in a frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat until crisp.
- Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
- Cook onion in the bacon drippings until tender.
- Combine cooked onions, pork and beans, brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.
- Pour bean mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish or use the cast iron skillet.
- Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle with crumbled reserved bacon.