Everyone needs a great baked beans recipe, and this one is as quick and easy as it gets! We’re doctoring up canned baked beans to make them taste really special.
I love making dishes from scratch whenever possible, but Bush’s Baked Beans (not sponsored!) are my gold standard when it comes to canned baked beans. To make them taste even better, we’re adding in smoked sausage, bacon, and a few basic condiments. Say hello to your new favorite bbq side dish!
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Making Canned Baked Beans SO Much Better
I grew up with Bush’s classic baked beans at every gathering! They hold such nostalgia for me, but I love giving them a little lift with some homemade touches. Bacon, sausage, lots of crisp onions, and a couple of pantry staples will transform canned baked beans into a masterpiece!
The baked beans go straight from the stove to the oven to get that caramelized crust. Here’s why else you’ll love this doctored up baked beans recipe:
- Easy – This is not an involved recipe! A bit of chopping, mixing, simmering, and then the oven does most of the work. It’s a bit of up front work while being mostly hands-off leaving you free to work on other things!
- Budget friendly – Canned baked beans and a couple of pantry staples make this recipe super affordable! You can easily feed a crowd with a minimal budget here.
- One skillet – I love a side dish that doesn’t make a ton of dishes! Everything comes together in one skillet and goes straight from stove to oven to party. Say goodbye to tons of dirty dishes, and hello to your new favorite side dish recipe!
Here’s What I Like to Add to Canned Baked Beans
- Canned baked beans. Hands down the best canned beans for making baked beans is Bush’s classic or homestyle baked beans!
- Bacon. Doesn’t bacon just make everything better?
- Sausage. I went for a smoky and spicy pork sausage, but kielbasa or similar is a great addition.
- Onion. Diced yellow onion really bolsters some fresh flavor and keeps things from tasted canned.
- Ketchup. Ketchup adds a bit of acidity and sweetness, just opt for some high-quality ketchup. My favorite ketchup is from Trader Joe’s!
- Hot sauce. Go for a vinegar-based hot sauce like Frank’s for a bit of spice and a vinegary tang.
- Dijon mustard. Some spicy dijon mustard adds tons of flavor.
- Brown sugar. Adding a bit of brown sugar to the beans and some on top as it bakes creates a beautiful caramelized crust.
- Worcestershire. This is the secret to really savory beans! Worcestershire sauce adds tons of umami flavor and really dresses up canned baked beans.
Tools Needed
How to Doctor Up Baked Beans
Jenny’s Tip: My recommendation here is to use a big cast iron skillet, at least 11-12 inches in diameter. Otherwise, just transfer the beans to an oven-safe baking dish before they go into the oven.
- Crisp up the bacon. Cook the bacon low and slow in the skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, but keep the rendered bacon fat in there.
- Sauté the onions and sausage. Remember, we’re using fully cooked sausage here and just getting the slices nice and crispy in that flavorful bacon fat!
- Simmer the beans. Add the beans, remaining ingredients, and crispy bacon back to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
- Bake. Remove the beans from the heat and top with brown sugar before baking for 40 minutes until the top crust is browned and caramelized. Serve warm!
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
In the event that you have leftovers, dressed up baked beans are so easy to store, freeze and reheat!
- To store: Let the baked beans cool and store them in an airtight container for 4-6 days in the fridge.
- To freeze: Let the beans cool to room temperature and then store in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Try to press most of the air out of the bag while sealing, this helps prevent freezer burn. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Leftover baked beans can be microwaved, in a covered container, until steaming. Alternately, you can warm them back up in a pot or skillet, adding a little water as necessary to thin them out.
What to Serve with Baked Beans
What doesn’t go well with baked beans?? Loaded with all of the bacon and sausage, these baked beans are nearly a meal all on their own. But we love to pair them with:
- Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
- Black Bean Burgers
- Grilled Ribeye with Chimichurri
- Grilled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
- Grilled Beer Brats
- Grilled Chicken Wings
No matter what you decide to serve with your jazzed up baked beans, you’ll be able to agree that they are DELICIOUS!
More Classic Summer Side Dish Recipes to Make
- Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
- Cucumber Yogurt Salad
- Boiled Corn on the Cob
- My Mom’s Classic Potato Salad
- Little Gem Caesar Salad
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Doctored Up Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon, diced
- 8 oz smoked sausage (like kielbasa), sliced into rounds
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 – 28 oz cans baked beans (I like Bush's classic)
- 1/2 cup ketchup (make sure it's high-quality)
- 1/3 cup vinegar-based hot sauce, like Frank's
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
- In a large cast iron skillet over low heat, slowly cook the bacon while stirring occasionally until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the skillet, while leaving the rendered bacon fat behind.
- Add the sausage to the skillet and increase heat to medium. Cook until sausage is browned on both sides and then add the onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is starting to soften.
- Add the canned beans, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, dijon, Worcestershire, and the crispy bacon. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 min. Remove from the heat and top with the remaining brown sugar.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the top is caramelized and browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
This looks amazing!!
I’ll admit I only dumped all the sauces into my crockpot with my gross store bought Aldi baked beans. They were awful straight out of the can. This recipe made them instantly delicious. I don’t even like baked beans! I plan on cooking them in the crockpot on low for a few hours so the sauce can thicken up!