Easy Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans are better than scratch. The quickest way to improve canned beans is this doctored up version that tastes just like homemade. Have you tried making doctored up baked beans before? You’ll be a quick convert if you haven’t tried yet. This recipe will blow you away.
Everybody needs a good baked beans recipe. I grew up eating baked beans all summer long. It was something we always had when we went camping. We also had them at home a lot when we ate sandwiches, hot dogs, or hamburgers. They’re a perfect accompaniment.
These will go perfectly with Grandpa’s Sweet & Tangy Potato Salad — Check it out!
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While my mom might disagree, I think we usually ate them right out of the can, and it was the cheap kind – you know those ones that had the cube of squishy pork fat in the can. Some people at the table used to fight over that little hunk of fat. Please tell me someone else did that, too. Better yet, we thought we’d hit the motherlode if there was more than one in the can.
Anyway, my tastes have matured a bit, but those $.38 cans of beans still make my frugal heart happy. I’ve been able to bring peace to both my frugal and mature sides by doctoring up my cheap canned beans. It’s amazing what some bacon, brown sugar and onions can do to a canned beans.
There was a time when I’d make baked beans from scratch. Back in the days that I had kids in school all day and I could watch Court TV at home. That is just soooo not my life right now. I barely get 5 minutes to myself now and struggle to find time for the bathroom or a shower. So, Doctored Up Baked Beans are the next best thing.
They are perfect with Grandpa’s Sweet and Tangy Potato Salad for any picnic or potluck. Plus, they’ll fool everyone into thinking you’ve slaved in the hot kitchen all day.
They are thick and sweet and sticky and oniony and bacon-y … bacon-y is a word, right? In the bacon-obsessed year of 2018, we all know what bacon-y means, right? If that’s not in the dictionary it totally needs to be.
And, they’ll take less than 20 hands-on minutes. That makes them totally better than scratch, but they still taste homemade. It can’t get any easier.
Now that it’s Summer, and the price is right, stock up on a boatload of those cheap cans and you can doctor-up these Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans all year long.
We love to take these beans along when we go on one of our Frugal Camping Trips along with some of Grandpa’s Sweet and Tangy Potato Salad. The beans are good to eat cold, or can be heated up. Be careful not to scorch them if you’re warming them up over a fire. You may need to add a bit of water to thin them out a little, too.
Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans – Better Than Scratch
After dicing your bacon into 1/2-inch pieces, brown it in a pan until it is nicely brown.
Remove it to a plate before it is crisp. You want it to be a bit on the soft side, but have a good color, too.
Pour off most of the bacon grease, reserving 2 Tablespoons in the pan. Add your diced onion to the pan and saute until it is translucent.
Once your onion is translucent, add the drained beans, bacon, brown sugar, ketchup, dry mustard, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Once it is at a simmer, pour into a casserole pan or pyrex dish and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. I like to cook them long enough for it to get bubbly.
Do you see how the edges have started to brown and the inside is nice and creamy? That is the sweet spot! They’re perfect now and ready serve or take to your potluck.
This is where everybody is jealous and starts asking for your recipe. You don’t have to tell them they started from a can. Go ahead, let them think they’ve been baking in your oven all day. I won’t tell. 🙂
Take these Quick and Easy Baked Beans on your next Camping Trip or Road Trip
- Easy Road Trip Meal Ideas for Families
- Things You MUST Take When Camping with Kids
- 12 Frugal Camping Ideas for Families
- Camping Essentials- 17 Must-Know Camping TIps
Doctored Up Baked Beans
These sweet and sticky Doctored Up Baked Beans will be all the rage at your next BBQ, picnic or potluck. Take cheap canned pork and beans and turn them into a delicious family favorite.
- 4 cans Van Camps Pork & Beans (drained)
- 1/2 lb. Bacon (diced)
- 1 med. Onion (diced)
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tb. Yellow Mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
- 1/2 cup Ketchup
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Saute diced bacon until fat is rendered and bacon starts to brown.
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Remove bacon and all but 2 T. bacon grease from pan, set aside.
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Cook diced onion in remaining bacon grease, until it is translucent.
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Add drained beans, reserved bacon, brown sugar, yellow mustard, dry mustard and ketchup to pan and cook until it starts to simmer.
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Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes.
