Root Beer Baked Beans with Bacon
From "Cuisine At Home Magazine" With smoky bacon, sweet root beer, and a buttery bread crumb topping, everyone’s sure to enjoy these appetizing baked beans. I recently made these beans, only I realized (too late) that I didn't have root beer extract. I continued on, and skipped the buttery bread crumbs, too. Still, these beans were a hit, as everyone went back for seconds. They are smoky, a little sweet and very flavorful. Plus, they are super easy to make with canned pinto beans.
Servings 12
Ingredients
BEANS:
- 4 strips thick-sliced bacon diced
- SWEAT:
- 2 cups diced onions
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoons fresh garlic minced
DEGLAZE:
- 2 cups root beer
- 2 cans pinto beans 15-ounces each, drained and rinsed
- 1 can tomato purée 10.75-ounces
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons each Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon each Tabasco sauce, and kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp root beer extract optional, I have never used
TOPPING, PULSE:
- 3 slices white bread buttered
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
For the beans, cook bacon in a nonstick skillet until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings.
- Sweat onions, bell pepper, and garlic in drippings over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes.
- Deglaze skillet with root beer and bring to a boil; cook until root beer nearly evaporated, 10 minutes. Stir in beans, tomato purée, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, Tabasco, root beer extract, salt, and bacon; bring to a simmer. Transfer beans to a 2-quart baking dish.
For the topping, pulse bread in a food processor to crumbs. Add parsley; pulse to combine. Top beans with bread crumb mixture; bake until topping is toasted and beans are bubbly, 15 minutes.
Notes
I was perfectly happy with this recipe, without using the root beer extract.