Baked Beans Tomato Sauce (Printable Version)
Tender white beans slow-baked with rich tomato sauce and aromatic herbs for a warming dish.
# What You Need:
→ Beans
01 - 2 cups dried navy beans or 3 cans (15 oz each) white beans, drained and rinsed
→ Tomato Sauce
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
06 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
07 - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
08 - 1 tablespoon molasses or maple syrup
09 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
11 - 1 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
13 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian if preferred)
14 - 1 cup vegetable broth or water
# How to Make It:
01 - If using dried beans, soak overnight in ample water. Drain and simmer in fresh water for 45-50 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened.
04 - Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Incorporate crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, molasses, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetable broth into the skillet.
06 - Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
07 - Gently fold in the cooked or canned beans, ensuring they are fully coated with the sauce.
08 - Transfer the skillet or Dutch oven to the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
09 - Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It's the kind of dish that gets better as it sits, so you can make it ahead and actually reduce your stress on serving day.
- One pot does most of the work while your oven handles the heavy lifting, leaving you free to do literally anything else.
- Rich and satisfying enough to stand on its own as a main, but humble enough to know its place as a side dish too.
02 -
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools, so if it looks slightly loose when you pull it from the oven, that's exactly where it should be.
- If you're using fresh dried beans, cooking them separately first is non-negotiable—undercooked beans will stay hard no matter how long they bake.
03 -
- Don't skip the resting time—five minutes lets the sauce set slightly and makes serving cleaner and less splashy.
- If you find your sauce is too thin after baking, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water, stir it in, and return to the oven for five more minutes to thicken.