Boston Baked Beans

by Amy Oboussier February 12, 2025

Finished in the oven, rich and sweet Boston baked beans are an American classic perfect for cold winter nights.

The origins of Briton's beloved baked beans lie across the pond in the USA. Early European settlers took inspiration from Native Americans who cooked beans with maple syrup. In the 18th century the maple syrup was replaced with molasses, abundant in Boston from the trade in sugar and rum.

Beans cooked with small amounts of meat are common across many cultures, as an economical way to make expensive meat go a long way. When buying bacon do choose carefully, much pig production is fraught with unstainable practices (read more in our blog post Soy No More: Breaking the UK's dependence on imported soy). In this recipe Amy used Dorset pancetta with rosemary from The Real Cure - a cured and air dried free range pork belly.

Although pork is a traditional ingredient in Boston Baked Beans you prefer to leave it out - try adding dried mushrooms and smoked oak water instead.

As always soaking your beans is not necessary, if you forget the night before, don’t panic but just add an hour to the bean's initial cooking time.

These beans are quite sweet so serve them with something bitter or acidic. Our recipe for Yellow Pea ‘Cornbread’ with Lime & Chilli would make a traditional American pairing. But baked potato, slaw and salad would be great. Or simply over toast.

Ingredients

250g Flageolet Beans, soaked overnight (see notes)
1 Onion, half finely diced
1 Carrot
4 Cloves of Garlic, half roughly chopped
1 Stick of Celery
1 tsp Salt
100g Pancetta or Bacon, cut into small chunks (optional - see notes)
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Mustard Seed, roughly ground
75g Molasses

Method

Take a heavy ovenproof pan with a lid or Dutch oven and add your beans, carrot, half onion, celery stick, 2 whole garlic cloves and salt. Fill with enough water to cover the beans by an inch.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 mins or until the beans are tender, but not overcooked.
Remove the carrot, onion, celery and garlic. Drain the beans, but keep all the cooking liquid.
Return the pan to the stove, add a very small amount of oil and heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat starts to render out. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is golden and bacon crisp. Add the mustard seed and cook for a further minute.
Add the molasses, beans and bay leaf to the pan, with enough of the bean cooking liquid to cover the beans. Bring to a simmer.
Cover with a lid and place in the oven at 160C for 3 hours. Check the beans every 30/ 45 mins and top up with enough liquid to keep the beans covered. Use the remainder of the cooking liquid, but once that runs out use boiling water.
In the final 30 mins allow the liquid to cook down into a thick sauce. You're looking for the beans to be tender, with most holding their shape, but a few falling apart.
Remove from the oven and season to taste with salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar. The beans are quite sweet so be generous with vinegar as this will balance the richness.

Amy Oboussier

Author

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Also in Recipes for Pulses, Grains, Seeds, Flakes, Flour, Ferments...

Beans New World Phaseolus beans Pulses Supper Vegetarian

Cuban Black Bean & Red Pepper Soup

by Vicky Jones February 12, 2025

A substantial soup, almost a main course, combining meaty black beans and sweet red peppers with the heat of red chilli in the accompanying salsa.

Beans Borlotti Beans Phaseolus beans Pulses Stews Supper Vegan Vegetarian Winter

Stew of Borlotti Beans with Fennel

by Vicky Jones February 12, 2025

This comforting aromatic stew from Vicky Jones' excellent Beans, Peas & Everything In Between, is a perfect vegetarian dish, evocative of the wild fennel much used in Sicilian cooking.

Baking Beans Black Beans Gluten-free Phaseolus beans Pulses Vegetarian

Black Bean Brownies

by Jenny Chandler February 12, 2025

This recipe, from Jenny Chandler's brilliant cookbook Super Pulses, uses black beans to create fudgy, indulgent chocolate brownies. Beans are used in place of flour to add more nutrition and also make this recipe suitable for gluten-free bakers.

Spill the beans!

Get in touch at hello@hodmedods.co.uk or 01986 467567

Things sometimes go wrong but we'll always do our best to put it right. Please contact us to let us know if there's any problem with an order.

For further details please see our Terms of Service, Returns, Refunds and Exchanges Policy and Privacy Policy.

By signing up, you agree to receive marketing emails. Please see our Privacy Policy for more details.

Registered in England and Wales as Hodmedod Ltd, The Studios, London Road, Brampton, Beccles, Suffolk, NR34 8DQ, UK; company number 08151811.