Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans

Who says Baked Beans need to have bacon?  And who says they need to be baked?  Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans are fast, cheap, and easy – and nobody will notice the missing pork product! If you’re grilling tonight, serve these beans and some corn as a side!

STOVETOP VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS

I love baked beans.  They remind me of wintertime and childhood.  Baked beans were a regular feature in our home when I was a kid.  You see, Dear Reader, buying bread at a local bakery or grocery store was out of the question.  Not that there was anything wrong with it, but because the bread was baked at home back then.

My mom would make three or four loaves of bread twice each week.  And, it was such a long process too.  If memory serves me correctly, it would take her a good four hours or more from start to finish.  But, she was great at managing her time. While she was tending to the bread, she was cleaning the house, and doing laundry. Sometimes, she would be helping my dad with building a wall or installing a new door or window. They could have been re-papering the living room walls with the latest wallpaper trend too. They were completely unpredictable when it came to household renovations!

I mention the bread in this post because beans and bread went hand in hand. My mom would only ever make baked beans for dinner on the same day she was making homemade bread.  There was no exception to the rule. Baked beans demanded fresh bread.  Period.

NO SOAKING BEANS ARE REQUIRED!

It took me a very long time to find a vegetarian baked beans recipe that I could be proud of.  This particular recipe tastes just like my mom’s.  But, in an ever-changing world, I don’t have time to soak beans overnight, boil them, then make up the recipe and bake them for an hour or so.  Who does that any more?  I got the same results using canned navy beans and just the perfect amount of sauce and flavour.

If you are a purist and would like to use dried beans instead of canned beans, you can certainly do just that. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain the water off the following day and rinse the beans well. Transfer them to a pot and cover them with water. Add salt and boil until the beans are tender. Drain well and use in the recipe. Or, you can take a shortcut and cook your beans in an Instant Pot in 30 minutes flat.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

This is a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare this Baked Beans recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Navy Beans – Use canned navy beans that have been drained and rinsed well. They are pre-cooked, so you won’t need to soak and boil the beans before starting this recipe.
• Onion – Baked beans need a lot of onions!
• Garlic – My mom never once used fresh garlic, but I can’t imagine baked beans without it. Use fresh garlic for this recipe, not powdered stuff.
• Soy Sauce – This adds a bit of saltiness, flavour, and colour too.
• White Vinegar – To balance out the sweetness.
• Yellow Mustard – You cannot make baked beans without it.
• Molasses – Like yellow mustard, molasses is a must for baked beans. This adds colour and sweetness and helps develop that delicious sauce.
• Barbecue Sauce – Use your favourite brand or even homemade. I like to use a smoky barbecue sauce to add that distinctive smoky flavour that you get from canned baked beans.
• Brown Sugar – For sweetness.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Olive Oil

HOW TO MAKE STOVETOP VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS

In a large Dutch oven or pot with a tight-fitting lid, add the olive oil and onions and saute over medium heat until the onions are just cooked. (Do not brown the onions!) After five minutes, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, white vinegar, yellow mustard, molasses, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.

Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add the beans to the pot. Stir to combine. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir to fully coat the beans. Reduce the heat to simmer and place a lid on the pot. Simmer for one hour.

Remove the lid and stir. The next step is up to your personal preference. If you prefer a saucy baked bean, then serve and enjoy! If you feel there’s too much sauce for your liking, continue to simmer without a lid for 10-15 minutes until some of the sauce is reduced. Stir often – the more the sauce reduces, the higher the chance of burning the beans because of the sugar content. Serve immediately.

PERFECT FOR POTLUCKS TOO

This recipe for Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans is so fast and easy!  Dear Reader, keep this recipe close by for upcoming potlucks or gatherings.  It makes a large amount and is easily paired with fresh bread (like my mom used to do) or with all of your summer grilling or tailgating parties.  And, as an added bonus, the fact that it’s vegetarian means that everyone can enjoy it!

But, don’t just think this dish is for summertime.  You also need to dig your fork into a large, piping, hot bowl of these on a cold winter night.  I can just imagine it now – baked beans, a thick slice of fresh bread smeared with butter, pyjamas, reading socks, and Netflix.

Yes, I said reading socks!  If you don’t know what those are, click here.  I have these and LOVE them!  I was born to be comfortable and fat, folks.  And, I don’t apologize for any of it!  

Whether it be summertime shenanigans, or wintertime warmth and comfort, Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans are the perfect food to fill your belly with sustenance and happiness.  Count me in!

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Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans

Who says Baked Beans need to have bacon?  And who says they need to be baked?  Stovetop Vegetarian Baked Beans are fast, cheap, and easy – and nobody will notice the missing pork product! If you're grilling tonight, serve these beans and some corn as a side!

Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved! Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings

Calories 251kcal

Author Lord Byron’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 cans navy beans, 19 ounce cans, drained and rinsed
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• In a large Dutch oven or pot with a tight fitting lid, add the olive oil and onions and saute over medium heat until onions are just cooked. (Do not brown the onions!) After five minutes, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.
• In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, white vinegar, yellow mustard, molasses, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
• Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add the beans to the pot. Stir to combine.
• Pour in the sauce mixture and stir to fully coat the beans.
• Reduce the heat to simmer and place a lid on the pot.
• Simmer for one hour. At this point, remove the lid and stir. The next step is up to your personal preference. If you prefer a saucy baked bean, then serve and enjoy! If you feel there’s too much sauce for your liking, continue to simmer without a lid for 10-15 minutes until some of the sauce is reduced. Stir often – the more the sauce reduces, the higher the chance of burning the beans because of the sugar content. Serve immediately.

Notes

Leftover beans can be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat, just add the beans to a skillet and cook over a medium low temperature until heated through.

One serving is equal to roughly 3/4 cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1054mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 3.1mg