For those in the USA, Happy Independence Day weekend! Our AG friendly menu for this outdoor holiday includes turkey burgers, fresh fruit, salad, baked beans, and a red, white, and blue dessert. Growing up in New England, Boston baked beans were a tradition and also a production! Not knowing any other way, I made my baked beans from scratch in the first few years I was married. I soon discovered, however, that opening a can of “vegetarian” baked beans made for a much quicker and easier side dish, especially on busy nights with kids. I loved finding this recipe because it has some of the same ingredients as my traditional Boston baked beans, with all the ease of simply opening a can. I have adapted it to be AG friendly and hope you will try it for your cookout or barbecue this weekend or over the summer!

( I sincerely apologize for the lousy quality of this picture. I have been planning to post this recipe since I started blogging and this was taken about 3 cameras ago! It was a good photo at the time, but looks terrible now in comparison to what my newer camera will do. Hopefully, you get the idea of what it should look like and will just trust me that it’s delicious!!)

 

6  slices turkey bacon

1  cup chopped onion

1  clove garlic, minced

1  15-oz can butter beans, drained

1  15-oz can lima beans, drained

1  16-oz can VEGETARIAN baked beans

1  15-oz can red kidney beans, drained

1  15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained

3/4  cup ketchup

1/2  cup molasses

1/3  cup firmly packed brown sugar

1  1/2  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1  tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

1/2  teaspoon pepper

 

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, crumble, and set aside. In the same pan, cook the onion and garlic until tender (add a little olive oil or butter if the onion is sticking to the pan); DRAIN.

Combine bacon, onion mixture, and all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased  2  1/2 quart bean pot or baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until beans are tender. Make sure to check the garbanzo beans for doneness, they tend to need some extra time. Serves lots and is fabulous leftover as well.

 

Adapted from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, 1999