Half-Baked Beans

 

First, don't Google "half baked beans" expecting a recipe.  It's an online publisher based in India.  Cute name though.

My new work schedule is destroying my cooking routine, not to mention this blog.  I don't want to spend one day a week cooking a whole week of meals, but I don't have two or three hours after work to go grocery shopping and cook a post.  I really miss morning shifts, not to mention my old 10-minute commute.

Case in point, how to make a pot of baked beans from scratch in under two hours.  I don't have a crock pot, and I don't want to leave the oven on all day while I'm at work.  I'm not thrilled with the idea of leaving an electric crock pot on unattended, either.  I know people do it, but Papa Smurf's career was investigating electrical and mechanical failures.  I make sure everything is off before going to bed or leaving the house, and don't even leave anything on a charger.

This recipe is in two steps.  You can simmer the beans the day before if you want, or even use canned if you aren't devoted to from-scratch.  Finishing them in the oven allows for the sauce to penetrate the beans, rather than only being an on-top sauce.  That's really what makes baked beans special.

2/3 C dry Navy or other white beans
2 Tb tomato paste
*1 Tb molasses
1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1/4 tsp ground cloves
salt to taste
water

1.  Soak beans 8 hours or overnight.  Drain.  Refill saucepan with water to cover by 1 inch and simmer beans for 1 hour, adding a touch of salt if desired.  Drain.

2.  Preheat oven to 275º.  In an oven-safe casserole, stir together par-cooked beans, tomato paste, molasses, garlic powder, cloves, and a bit of salt.  Add water to cover by 1 inch.  Cover casserole and bake 1 hour, stirring partway through and adding more water if dry.

3.  Serve hot, with salad and cornbread if desired.

Difficulty rating  π