Wow, it is finally fall and a perfect time for stick to the ribs comfort food.  How about a different take on baked beans?  I had black beans and Great Northern beans in the cupboard and I thought a mixture would be interesting.  And it goes great with the Butterflied Baked Chicken from the last post.

Start by soaking the beans overnight.

I added onion to a dutch oven pot full of water and brought it to a boil.  The beans were added and the temperature reduced.  The beans were simmered for about 2 1/2 hours.  I did this step because I have had them come out too tough in the past when baking them without the simmering stage as a lot of recipes suggest.

I forgot to take pictures of the process until I had all the ingredients in, but I think you get the idea.  Saute the bacon and onion, then drain. Add to the beans with the rest of the ingredients and stir.

Bake for about one hour for the flavors to blend and the sauce to cook.

Yum, enjoy!!  These beans have the basic flavor of traditional baked beans, but with a meatier, heartier flavor from the addition of the black beans.  This recipe fed eight with leftovers, great for potluck dinners.

Baked Black and Great Northern Beans

I cup dried black beans
1 cup dried Great Northern beans
4-6 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup (about, may need a bit more)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
salt and pepper to taste

Start these a day ahead.  Soak dried beans overnight in water.  Drain water and rinse.  Add to a dutch oven pot full of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer covered for about 2 hours or until beans are tender.  Drain water and place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  In a medium size pan, saute bacon and onion until bacon is crisp and onion is translucent.  Drain on paper towels.   Add to the beans.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  Bake for one hour.

Variation – if you like peppers, add chopped peppers to onions and bacon to soften before adding to pot.

This could serve as a vegetarian main course without the bacon.  But I like them best as a side dish.  In fact, they would go nicely with my Leftover Pork Roast Enchiladas.  Enjoy!!