 |
Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 60 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 12 |
|
Ingredients:
boston baked beans meet sloppy joe in this easy, crowd-pleasing dish. could we take it from decent to delicious here’s what we discovered |
test kitchen discoveries |
we usually prefer to use dried beans, but in this recipe the difference between canned and dried beans was minimal, so we chose canned beans. we recommend using beans of varying shapes and color. |
for the sauce, we mixed tomato sauce with brown sugar (for its pleasing hint of molasses), bottled barbecue sauce (which added a smoky note), and red pepper flakes and cider vinegar for a bright finish. |
tasters preferred the traditional choice of ground beef to any other meat combinations we tried. |
build the dish in a dutch oven in multiple steps. brown the beef before sautéing the onions and garlic. after that, the sauce can be stirred into the pan with the canned beans before baking in the oven. |
we cut fresh green beans and stirred them in partway through baking. along with the green beans, we tossed in a box of frozen lima beans, which unlike canned, retain their creamy texture. together, these two beans added crunch, freshness, and creaminess. |
full of beans |
block party casseroles typically contain a hodgepodge of canned beans swimming in an ersatz sloppy joe mix. while canned beans were a good start, we found that the addition of meaty frozen lima beans and crunchy fresh green beans gave the casserole much needed textural contrast, plus some spark. |
Directions:
1. For a festive presentation worthy of its name, we recommend using beans of varying shapes and colors, such as kidney beans, navy beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Serve with hot sauce.
2. 2 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
3. 1 onion , chopped fine
4. 4 garlic cloves , minced
5. 4 (15-ounce) cans beans , drained and rinsed (see note)
6. 2 (28-ounce) cans tomato sauce
7. 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
8. 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
9. 1/4 cup cider vinegar
10. 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
11. Salt and pepper
12. 12 ounces green beans , trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
13. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen lima beans
14. 1. MAKE SAUCE Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook beef in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Drain beef in colander, then return to pot. Stir in onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, sugar, vinegar, pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil.
15. 2. BAKE Transfer pot to oven and cook, covered, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in green beans and lima beans and continue to cook, covered, until green beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve. (Beans can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.)
|
|