Vegetarian Baked Beans
Margaret Roach shares her simple recipe for meatless baked beans.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover; let soak overnight. Drain and return to pot; add enough water to cover and simmer over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; stir in molasses, maple syrup, mustard, and tomatoes. Set aside.
Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven or a 9-by-13-inch high-sided baking dish with olive oil. Add onions and top with bean mixture. Add enough boiling water to cover bean mixture by 1 inch. Cover Dutch oven with lid or baking dish with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Transfer to oven and bake until beans are softened, about 1 1/2 hours, checking water level and adding more as necessary.
Uncover beans and continue baking until thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
I was excited to try this recipe as it sounded very good. Unfortunately I'm very disappointed with the outcome, as they're very dry and quite bland. I'll need to add more flavor to get these to fly at any group gathering. (Southerners are very picky when it comes to baked beans.) These need more flavor and tang, and considering the amt of time it takes to make these, I would have expected much more taste.