No barbecue or picnic is complete without a tasty side dish or two of baked beans, and this flavorful version is a worthy contender! It uses canned beans, (which might make a purist frown, but the saved time brings a smile to a cook’s face… ), and using a combination of beans makes it more interesting and visually appealing. Bake it long enough for caramelization and for the flavors to deepen.
You don’t have to use the bacon, and if you do, you don’t have to cook the onions in the bacon drippings, but that bacon sure does add some flavor!

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Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 2 cups onions chopped
- 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 6 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp. molasses
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. hot sauce
- 1 15 oz. can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can butter beans drained and rinsed
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In large, oven proof pan, over medium heat, saute bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and place on a plate, and drain all but 1 tbsp. of the bacon fat. Add onions to pan and cook until golden and soft.
- Return bacon to the pot, and add tomato sauce, molasses, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and hot sauce and mix well.
- Add beans to the pot, combine well and place in oven. Bake about one hour, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and caramelized.