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Classic Baked Beans

Navy beans are slow-baked in a sweet and smoky sauce of molasses, brown sugar, and bacon until thick and deeply flavorful.

⏱ 10 minPrep time
🔥 120 minCook time
🍽 8Servings
🏷 Side DishCategory
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Baked beans have roots in Native American cooking, later adapted by New England colonists who slow-baked beans with molasses and salt pork. The dish became a defining regional specialty of Boston, earning it the nickname ‘Beantown,’ and later became a beloved American barbecue side nationwide.

Sweet, smoky, and slow-baked to perfection

Navy beans are slow-baked in a sweet and smoky sauce of molasses, brown sugar, and bacon until thick and deeply flavorful.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
  2. Cook the bacon in an oven-safe pot until crisp, then remove and set aside, leaving the fat.
  3. Sauté the onion in the bacon fat until softened.
  4. Stir in the beans, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, water, and cooked bacon.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Cover and bake 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Low, slow baking is what develops the deep, sweet-smoky flavor — don't rush it. Add a splash more water or broth if the beans start to look too thick before they're fully cooked.

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Recipe details

Prep10 min
Cook120 min
Servings8
CategorySide Dish
PublishedAugust 12, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →