Crock Pot Baked Beans

I promised you a baked bean recipe to put inside our shredded potato baskets, so here it is! There is a bit of prep work involved because the raw beans soak overnight, but once you throw everything into the crock pot, your work is done! They cook up into a sweet mix of hearty goodness and are delicious on their own or as a side to your outdoor cookout.

I got this recipe from a fellow blogger last summer, before I started my own venture. Looking back, I realize just how helpful this post was, and hope I’m doing the same to inspire all of you in the kitchen! I made these vegetarian because we had other meats at the party and I wanted to appeal to my non-carnivorous guests. Veggie dogs would be a delicious addition for a vegan franks and beans, and bacon is a fan favorite if you want to throw in some meat. My father spruces up his recipe by adding deli fresh hard salami, pastrami or corned beef, which makes for a pretty decadent dish.

Recipe from Squawkfox.com

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs (3 cups) dried small white beans, or navy beans

2.5 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/2 cup molasses

2 tablespoons dried mustard

Optional: 2 garlic cloves, minced

Optional: sautéed chopped onion

Instructions:

Soak navy beans overnight, or up to 12 hours for softer beans.

Drain and rinse beans and pour them into your Crock Pot.

Add all your ingredients and stir together.

Cover and cook 6-7 hours on HIGH or 10-12 hours on low, until beans are soft and sauce is rich. If they become dry, add more water or stock.

WARNING: This blogger suggests refraining from opening the Crock Pot during the early hours of cooking. Dry mustard is potent and can be very hazardous to your eyeballs. I decided to take her word for it.