The best baked beans

A few years ago I picked this recipe randomly from the BHG.com Web site because I wanted to make some baked beans that were actually baked in the oven rather the the stovetop variety I was used to eating.

People loved it. Took second helpings. Told me they were the best beans they'd ever had. So I couldn't have been happier and I've been making this recipe ever since. It's the perfect picnic, barbecue, potluck dish, and the secret ingredient is... an apple.

I would also say it's important to use Bush's beans and K.C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce, but that's just me.


The best baked beans
Adapted from BHG.com

1 28-ounce can vegetarian baked beans (yes, you start with baked beans)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, not too tart, peeled, cored and diced
teaspoon black pepper

To make it meaty: Add 3 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon after you take the beans out of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Dump your beans into a small glass casserole dish (or double the recipe for a big crowd and go for a 9X13 dish). Mix in the remaining ingredients and bake uncovered for 60-70 minutes until the beans are thickened and bubbly. The apples will cook down and add another dimension of flavor that you can't necessarily pick out, but you'll love.