Healthy Baked Beans Recipe

To make the perfect dish of baked beans, it's best to use navy beans, one of nature's best sources of healthy protein and folate. Navy beans are also rich in a number of minerals, including iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese.

You could just open up a can of baked beans by Heinz or others, but if you give this recipe a try, I think you'll notice a huge difference in savoriness. And you can also feel good about avoiding any bisphenol A that is sometimes found in can linings.

Makes about 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup dried navy beans, soaked for at least six hours
1 yellow onion, finely diced
14 ounces tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1.5 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or apple juice concentrate
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
6 cups vegetable broth (or water if broth is unavailable)
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Thoroughly rinse and drain soaked beans.

2. In a heavy saucepan, cook the onions, garlic, and basil in olive oil over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the navy beans and all other ingredients, save the tomatoes. Place lid on saucepan, but leave it open just a crack to allow steam to escape, and cook over low to medium heat for about an hour.

4. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 hours over low to medium heat. As the ingredients cook, check the saucepan from time to time to make sure that everything is well covered with liquid.

5. When mixture has thickened, it's ready to be served.

Enjoy this traditional dish of baked beans with some lightly cooked eggs and whole grain toast for a hearty, protein-rich meal.

For a look at a pictorial of this recipe, click here:

How to Make Healthy Baked Beans