When it comes to food, I’ve had to experiment with what things are worth paying more for, and what things are just as good in store brand form.

As it turns out, our family prefers Walmart brand to Oreos.

When it comes to baked beans, 6 out of the 8 people who eat solids in our house prefer name brand baked beans. That didn’t stop me in the past from trying to save a little dough and buy the off brand.

I am a bit of a pantry hoarder (the zombie apocalypse could come at any time). I bought several cans of the off brand at once, and they were really, really terrible. No one wanted to eat it alongside our time tested, made-from-scratch, mac and cheese.

I started googling ways to make canned baked beans taste better.

There are actually a lot of ideas out there. But the truth is, once the beans are made and they are already bad, adding new flavors tends to muddy the waters. So I tried making my own.

Now, my beans are fantastic. Better than store brand, better than name brand. I rarely eat canned beans anymore now that I’ve had the good stuff.

If you’ve ever wondered if making homemade baked beans is worth it, I am here to tell you, it is. Any self-respecting grown up who has tried homemade baked beans will like them. And if you have kids, they can probably be converted, too.

Since it’s more work than canned beans, I usually make twice as much as we’ll eat and freeze half. These days, we call store bought beans “Emergency Beans,” meaning Mom didn’t plan ahead enough to re-hydrate beans for homemade baked beans.

Homemade Vegetarian Baked Beans

16 oz. bag of dry pinto beans, re-hydrated and drained (put on the stove in water on low heat a couple of hours before you eat, or just leave soaking unheated overnight.)

You can absolutely use a can of pinto beans to save time, but rehydrated pinto beans have this uniquely fresh, nutty flavor, and they aren’t slimy…

Add:
Mustard
Barbecue Sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray’s)
Taco sauce (I use mild Ortega, but have used chunky salsa in a pinch)
Worcestershire sauce (or A1 sauce)

Use these to your preference, 1/8-1/4 cup each until your sauce is the desired aroma and consistency

1 medium onion, diced, or 2-3 green onions, sliced
1 chopped bell pepper (during the winter, I used peppers I prepped and froze over the summer)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 fresh peeled garlic cloves (use a garlic masher, or diced finely)
1-2 scoops of chili paste
1/2 – 1 fresh or frozen sliced tomato (optional)

Add the ingredients while the beans cook over medium low heat. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes after the last ingredient is added to let the flavors mix.

It tastes best when the peppers still have some crunch, so there is no need to cook it for long.

Makes one full saucepan.