So you’re invited to a 4th of July BBQ next weekend, and they want you to bring a side. And of course the first thing your mind jumps to is BEANS!!
Okay maybe not. Maybe that’s just me because I realize that not everyone has quite the obsession with beans that I do. I <3 beans. Whenever we eat Mexican food, the beans are always my very favorite part. Aren’t I such a weirdo?
But even if you aren’t obsessed with beans like I am, you probably realize that they are a super tasty food group (yes, I consider them their own food group). They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, and they’re pretty darn good for you.
This time of year (the 4th of July time) is when baked beans really come into all their glory. They just go so well with all the other party fare, like grilled corn and potato salads and deviled eggs. Ahhh mazing.
But, if you are a vegetarian, picking your way through all the meaty dishes can be prettytough. Even the beans are usually made with bacon. But worry not! Today I have for you a recipe for vegetarian baked beans, homemade right in the comfort of you own home. Ta-da!
Baked beans are usually made in the oven, cooking for 4-5 hours.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t really ever feel like turning on my oven in the middle of summer, much less for 4 or 5 hours. Talk about a hot kitchen.
The solution? Say it with me: sllloooowwww cooooookkkkerrrrr. Slow cooker!
So right here in one recipe I’ve got two summer BBQ solutions for you vegetarians living in warmer climates – Vegetarian Slow Cooker Baked Beans!
And they’re super delicious to boot.
These baked beans are so so easy. Here’s how it goes:
How to make vegetarian slow cooker baked beans:
Boil beans, let soak 1 hour.
Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
Cook for 7-8 hours. Serve!
These taste way better than the canned variety – even the type that has the bacon. The flavors are so much more complex because they are fresh fresh, and the beans actually taste and feel like beans – not canned mush.
AJ also loved these. I made them right before I went down to Orange County to visit my parents and came back a few days later to find them totally gone. Now, this isn’t a small recipe, people. I’m pretty sure he ate baked beans for at least 2 meals per day the whole time I was gone.
That’s a lot of beans.
I’ve got more 4th of July recipes coming your way this week, so stay tuned!
This vegetarian baked beans recipe is perfect for a summer BBQ! Super easy to make, healthy, and delicious, this recipe can’t be beat.
Ingredients
Scale
1 lb dry navy beans, rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbspapple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbspmolasses
2 tspchili garlic paste
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Add the navy beans to a stockpot and cover with two inches of water. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from the heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour.
Drain the soaked beans, then add to the slow cooker along with the onion and garlic.* Add the vegetable broth and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, molasses, chili garlic paste, barbecue sauce, and brown sugar until combined. Pour into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook on high for 7-8 hours, until beans are soft and the liquid has thickened.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add to the pot of beans along with the salt and stir to combine. Let sit about 5 minutes to thicken a bit more before serving.
Notes
* For even better flavor, sautee the onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds, then transfer it all to the slow cooker.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:8 hours
Category:Sides
Method:Slow Cooker
Cuisine:Barbecuing and Cookouts
Keywords: vegetarian, baked beans, cook outs, tailgating, game day, side dish, barbecue, grilling
What about you? What are your suggestions for vegan or vegetarian cookout, game day, or tailgating sides?
If this baked bean recipe toots your fruits, you’ll love these other vegan and vegetarian grilling and cookout recipes:
Balsamic Grilled Baby Artichokes (Vegan)
Charred Romaine with Paprika Marinated Grilled Tofu (Vegan)
Portobello Burgers with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Vegan)
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
Slowly heating raw kidney beans in a slow cooker may increase the toxicity of the beans. Studies have found slow cookers do not reach a high enough temperature to destroy the harmful bacteria in undercooked beans. The PHA toxin is destroyed at 212°F when cooked for at least 10 minutes.
If you're the impatient, bean-hungry type, you can cook your beans from dry without any soaking at all. Here's the thing: Beans that have not been soaked ahead of time will always take longer to cook, but they will, indeed, cook.
Back in 1969, the Bush family decided to share their secret recipe for Baked Beans. Tender navy beans are slow-cooked with specially cured bacon, fine brown sugar and the family signature blend of spices. It's easy to see why it's enjoyed by millions every year!
Baked beans are a dish traditionally containing white common beans that are parboiled and then, in the US, baked in sauce at low temperature for a lengthy period. Canned baked beans are not baked, but are cooked through a steam process.
Simply add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to 1 cup of water or to the liquid from the baked beans (scoop it out into a separate bowl and let it cool first) and mix. Once the starch is thoroughly incorporated, pour the slurry into the baked beans dish and stir.
Control of phosphorus often is difficult for kidney failure patients. High-phosphorus foods to eliminate include: Beans (red, black, and white) Black-eyed peas.
Dried beans typically have a moisture content of around 16%. However, as they age, moisture evaporates, giving pectin time to age and harden the skin. These beans can often take much longer to soften while soaking and cooking, up to twice the time!
All you have to do is continue to let the beans cook but uncover them this time. While they heat up without a lid, the water will evaporate more rapidly and you should have thickened beans in no time. You can simply watch the liquid levels and take the beans off the heat when they've reached your preferred texture.
How do you thicken beans with flour? Get a measuring cup (or regular cup) and place about 1 tablespoon of flour inside and add 1 tablespoon of bean juice; stir.Slowly keep adding more juice - then add to the the beans; stir.
If your beans are still too watery after prolonged cooking and mashing, consider adding a thickener like cornstarch, all-purpose flour, or arrowroot. To do this, first, make a slurry of equal parts thickener and water, then slowly add it to your refried beans. They should thicken considerably.
Cook low and slow—patience is key. To cook on the stove, bring the pot of beans (soaked or unsoaked, with olive oil, salt, and any seasonings plus 2 to 3 inches of liquid covering them) to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat so that your beans are barely but steadily simmering and cover with the lid.
When we tested this, the beans cooked in the soaking liquid were much more flavorful, had a prettier, darker color, and had a more pleasant texture. Takeaway: You don't have to soak your beans; but if you do, cook the beans in their soaking liquid. Myth 3: If you don't soak overnight, you should at least quick-soak.
After cooking a pot of beans, you'll have about two hours' time of them sitting out before you have to worry about bacteria – that's the safe time outlined by the USDA in their “Danger Zone” range. Once the food temp drops, they may become too unhealthy to eat.
Nestle Canada Inc. said this week that it had agreed to sell its Libby's canned beans and canned pasta business to the H. J.Heinz Company of Canada for an undisclosed amount. Included in the sale are a factory in Wallaceburg, Ontario, and products like Deep-Browned Beans, Alpha-Getti and Zoodles.
Baked beans provide fiber, other nutrients, and plant-based protein and compounds. But canned baked beans may be high in added sugar and salt. The healthiest way to consume baked beans is making them from scratch.
"It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states.
You can also make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and about a cup or so of cool water, or some of the bean liquid. If you use the bean liquid, remove it first and set it aside to cool slightly.
Kidney beans MUST be boiled for 10 minutes before they are added to the slow cooker to ensure that the kidney bean lectin is destroyed. This lectin can cause vomiting and sickness.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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