Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans

To quick-soak the beans, cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Then continue the recipe with preheating the oven. Just one serving of this side goes a long way toward helping you reach your daily fiber goal.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  pound  dried navy beans
• 4  bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  cup  diced onion (1 small)
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1/3  cup  light molasses
• 1/4  cup  packed dark brown sugar
• 3  tablespoons  minced jalapeño pepper (about 1)
• 1  teaspoon  dry mustard
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 5  cups  water, divided
• 1  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or just until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan; return bacon to pan. Add onion to drippings in pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown, stirring often. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Add molasses, sugar, jalapeño, mustard, and red pepper; stir to combine. Stir in beans and 4 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high; bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and bake at 350° for 3 hours. Stir in remaining 1 cup water. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until beans are tender, but not falling apart, and liquid is almost absorbed. Remove from oven; stir in salt.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

233 (12% from fat)

Fat:

3.1g (sat 1g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

9.8g

Carbohydrate:

42.7g

Fiber:

11.3g

Cholesterol:

4mg

Iron:

3.2mg

Sodium:

316mg

Calcium:

107mg