Gameday brings forth all the good food: chips, dips, barbeque, sweets, and the plate’s favorite side dish to the plate: baked beans. They’re typically enjoyed in the summer, but don’t let that stop you from bringing them out for your next game day spread.

Bring a Little Summer to Gameday With Quick and Easy Baked Beans

Baked beans are a fan favorite for the summer, so bringing them out in the winter for your next game day party is sure to impress your friends and fuel their cheering. Requiring simple household ingredients, easy methods, and 30-minutes, you’re sure to have a side dish to please in no time!

There’s no secret these baked beans are vegan, but, boy oh boy, are they flavorful. The liquid smoke really takes the place of the bacon here, plus your friends probably won’t even notice the absence!

The trick to these vegan baked beans is balanced flavor. It can be challenging to find the perfect ratio of smokey, sweet, and salty, but this recipe hits it on the nail. Check out the recipe for notes on how to season this recipe to sweeter, smokier, or saltier.

These baked beans would pair fantastically with veggie burgers, grilled pineapple, barbecue jackfruit, roasted vegetables, or french fries! So, bring out the barbeque vibes, you know you miss them.

These baked beans are:
Sweet
Smokey
Hearty
Flavorful
And Juicy

This recipe uses canned pinto beans to speed up the cooking time, but you can certainly bring dry beans to a boil in this recipe by simply adding an additional cup of vegetable broth with three cups of beans. It will add approximately 30 minutes to your prep time. If you don’t have the pan or time to oven roast them, simmer them with a lid for 15-20 minutes or until crisp at the top. (Editor’s note: For more on reconstituting dried beans, check out the Game Day Merry Menu from Bryan Oakley.)

As always with any recipes, get creative and use the ingredients you have on hand! Brown mustard or white beans would make an interesting and flavorful swap here.

Quick and Easy Baked Beans

Grab a medium-sized pot, gather up your ingredients, and let’s get started! All you need is thirty minutes on the clock.

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced (I used a Vidalia! They’re extra sweet.)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tbs garlic, finely diced
2 cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 6 oz. can tomato paste*
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp liquid smoke*
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1/2  tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
2 tsp syrup*

Instructions:

1. Heat a little oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized pot. Once warm, add diced onion and green bell pepper with a tablespoon of finely diced garlic. Cook until fragrant and translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse your pinto beans from the can. Add them into the pot and stir in tomato paste with the vegetable broth until the mixture is creamy.
3. Add the brown sugar, liquid smoke, yellow mustard, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, and syrup. Pause to stir in each ingredient in at its addition.
4. For sweetness, add more syrup or brown sugar. For spice, add more chili powder or liquid smoke. For saltiness, add mustard.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for five minutes.
6. Add the beans into a baking dish, either a 9×12 baking dish, or a 9×5 loaf pan.
7. Garnish with sliced onion strings, diced green onion, and brown sugar.
8. Place in the oven on high broil for ten minutes until the top gets crispy. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. Use a spiced tomato paste for an extra flavor kick in this recipe.
2. If you don’t have liquid smoke on hand, sub 1 tsp of paprika for a smokey flavor.
3. Sub the syrup for molasses for a richer, sweeter taste.

For more delicious recipes, check out LWOS Life: Food and Drink!