recipe: hearty baked beans

My mom has made these beans for as long as I can remember at holidays and upon request.  I started making them for pitch-ins and cookouts because they are easy and a sure crowd-pleaser. This dish is warm and filling and perfect for fall as well. It could stand alone as the entree, but I've always served it as a side.  I'm excited to share the recipe with you today while linking up with Sarah from It's a Vol! for her Life Created series.

4 simple ingredients:

The instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350.  Brown the sausage (and mix it up - use the spicier type if your crowd likes more heat or use turkey sausage if your people don't like pork).  Drain the grease. I actually use paper towels to soak it up. No one wants greasy beans!

(Raise your hand if you have the same green Tupperware strainer from about 1975).

A step I added that I really recommend is to give the meat a few pulses in a food processor (or finely chop it with a sharp knife if you don't have a food processor).  I want the star of the show to be the beans, not the meat, so I like the texture better if I don't get a big piece of sausage in every bite. 

Drain the beans. Very important! If you skip this step, they will be soupy. 

Combine all the ingredients in an oven-safe 8x8 or 9x9 pan. 

Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake at 350 for 45 minutes until bubbly and sauce is thick. 

Eat. Eat. Eat.

Hope you try & enjoy this simple delight!

xo, 

~C~