Amber Ale Baked Beans

Just a little bacon gives a lot of flavor to this classic barbecue side, especially when you add it to sweet caramelized onions and a bottle of slightly fruity and malty ale.

Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  water
• 4  (16-ounce) cans low-sodium pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 2  bacon slices (uncooked), chopped
• 2  cups  chopped yellow onion (about 2 medium)
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 2  teaspoons  chili powder
• 3/4  cup  no salt-added ketchup
• 1/3  cup  packed brown sugar
• 3  tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• 2  tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (12-ounce) bottle amber ale (such as Redhook)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Drain over a large bowl; reserve cooking liquid. Discard onion and bay leaves.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add chopped onion to drippings in pan; cook 10 minutes or until golden brown and caramelized, stirring frequently. Add garlic and chili powder to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ketchup and next 5 ingredients (through ale) and 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid to pan; bring to a boil. Add beans and bacon. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Transfer to a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 45 minutes or until thick.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

276 (14% from fat)

Fat:

4.3g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

11.5g

Carbohydrate:

46.1g

Fiber:

10.4g

Cholesterol:

7mg

Iron:

3.3mg

Sodium:

558mg

Calcium:

90mg