The Bean Season

Meal Monday

I've never been a baked bean kind of gal, mainly because I found them too mushy. 

But years ago, I was visiting my sister-in-law, Margaret, when she made this fabulous baked bean dish that  featured three kinds of beans and a wonderful texture, courtesy of bacon, onion and chunks of cheddar cheese. At the time, my sister-in-law made the dish from memory, but she had the original instructions on hand in her kitchen. Before I returned home from my trip, Margaret actually copied down the recipe for me by hand. In my bulging binder of recipes torn from magazine and newspaper clips and print outs from various Web sites, I have one old-fashioned hand-written recipe card. It's the one from Margaret.

I've always used this bean as a side dish, usually, when we fire up the grill. It's perfect to serve along  burgers, steaks, chicken and other barbecue staples. But what's fabulous about this dish is that it easily can stand alone as a main course. Serve it with a side of cornbread and you're totally good to go.

Over the years, I've realized that I love this bean dish so much because you really can't screw it up. You can decrease or increase the number of bacon slices. Same goes for the amount of brown sugar. To this day, I never measure out the cheddar cheese because I'm not really sure if the "10 ounce" package she refers to actually exists.

Next week, my office is having a Thanksgiving potluck. I suspect I'll be bringing this dish to it. Becauase it does require baking time, I'll assemble it the first thing in the morning and let it cool down for 20-30 minutes before loading it up in the car. I can warm it up slightly in the microwave if necessary.

 

Margaret's Baked Bean Trio

(Adapted from Southern Living)

 

Ingredients

 

6 slices bacon, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 16 oz. can of pork and beans

1 16 oz. can of lima beans, drained

1 16 oz. can of kidney beans, drained

1 10 oz. package of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

1 TB worcestershire sauce

 

Preparation

Saute bacon until crisp; add onion and saute until tender. Drain grease.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover. Bake at 325 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours.

 

(Photo credit: Taste of Home)

 

Comments

[Katherine]

I was *just* thinking about how we need to get more beans into our diet. I was raised thinking that every meal needs to have meat, but beans are a satisfying, healthy substitute that I would love to get my children to enjoy on a regular basis. I love the suggestion to serve this as a main dish with cornbread!

[Eun Kim]

So glad youre enjoying it!