Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce

Over the past few months, I've been making a very conscious effort to cut back on my meat intake so, as a result, beans have become my new best friend.  I'll admit that I still crave meat but not nearly as often as I used to, and it hasn't been completely eliminated simply because I'm still training myself on how to have a complete meal without it.  As a distance runner, I fear low iron levels, etc so hopefully more research and education will make the transition easier.

Anyway, this baked bean dish isn't entirely vegetarian as it has bacon which, in my opinion, adds immense and much needed flavor.  (This is an example of my lack of knowledge on swapping out this for that - how does one make a solid baked bean dish sans bacon?).  The dish is very filling and serves as a meal, and the measurements themselves makes a TON so be prepared for eating beans for dinner...beans for lunch...and so on. 


Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce

1 pound dry cannellini (white) beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 pound bacon, in 2 inch slices
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh sage, minced (can sub fresh rosemary)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon paprika
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Pre-soak the beans in water overnight.  If you're using canned beans, use 3-4 cans of beans - you'll need to skip ahead in the recipe (I'll indicate where).

Drain the beans and place them in a cooking pan and cover with water.  Bring the water to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer.  Cook the beans for about an hour until they're soft and edible.

Preheat the oven to 325.

*Note:  if you're using canned beans, start the recipe from this point on.

In an large, oven-safe pot with an oven-safe lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the bacon until crispy.  Add the onion to the cooked bacon and cook until onions are browned and tender.  Scrape any browned material off from the bottom of the pan. 

Add the garlic, paprika, and sage and cook for another two minutes. 

Next, add the tomato paste and honey and cook for another two minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the beans and add to the pot.  Cover the pot and place in the oven for an hour and fifteen minutes.  If the beans are still hard after that amount of time, remove the cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Once the beans are cooked through, add the balsamic vinegar and mix thoroughly.  Serve over a starch of some sort - I used roasted potatoes.

Note:  my beans were not 100% cooked during the first round of the meal.  This took a lot longer than anticipated to cook (by my own fault) and when it's 9:30 p.m. on a work night, I'll eat just about anything.  The good news is the leftovers got better over time - the beans cooked as I reheated them in the microwave.