RECIPE: Peach & Salsa Baked Beans

Photo by Suat Eman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My family loves baked beans and I'm sure glad they do! They are such a simple, filling and inexpensive meal. I'm always looking for a new "twist" on the standard to keep things interesting.

I make an apple and bacon baked bean dish in the winter. Now that peaches are in season, I was inspired to do a summery version of that recipe, and Peach & Salsa Baked Beans was born. They were a big hit around here, so I hope your family will love them, too!

Note: This recipe calls for 6 cups of cooked white beans. I cook large quantities of dried beans and then freeze them in 1 1/2 cup portions, as that's roughly the amount in one can of drained beans. Using cooked-from-dried beans is much cheaper than buying canned, but if you don't have any cooked beans on hand, you can use 4 cans of drained white beans instead.

Ingredients:

6 cups cooked white beans (such as navy beans)
8 slices bacon
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4-6 peaches, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions:
Place the beans in a large casserole or bean pot. Cook the bacon until crisp, reserving drippings. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until it starts to soften; add peaches and cook about 5 minutes or until very tender.

In a medium bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, salt, pepper, brown sugar, molasses, salsa and ketchup. Crumble bacon and add to mixture, then stir in peaches and onions. Pour over beans, stirring gently until well combined. Add 1-2 cups of water, to just barely cover beans (amount of water will depend on size and shape of baking dish you're using). Stir again to blend water into sauce.

Bake at 375F for 1 1/2-2 hrs or until sauce has thickened and a crust has formed on top of beans.

Makes 6-8 servings.

I shard this recipe at Recipe Swap Thursday, Full Plate Thursday,  Frugal Food Thursday, Fat Camp Friday and Friday Favorites.