Vegetarian Boston Baked Beans

• 2 pounds white beans (northern or navy beans)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (optional, if you like your beans sweet)
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of tap water. Or, you can bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn them off; cover them and let them sit for an hour or two. The point of this is to reconstitute them some, making them easier to cook.

After the initial preparation, boil your beans on the back of the stove for about 30 to 45 minutes. They won’t be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft. Drain off the cooking water. In a very large casserole (4 quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt, dry mustard, molasses, sugar, onion, olive oil and liquid smoke to taste. Add enough hot water to barely come to the top of the beans. Put a lid on the casserole, or tin foil. Bake the beans at 300° for about 5 to 7 hours. They will be tender, fragrant and delicious. My kids love this stuff. The cooked beans may be frozen in 2-cup portions to substitute for canned baked beans or canned pork’n’beans in any recipe. They make a good main dish, or a side dish for a large crowd. This recipe serves about 16. I make such a large amount so I can have plenty of leftovers to freeze.

Another way to cook this, good in the summertime, is to use a crock pot. Boil the soaked beans for 30 minutes, as directed above. Then, instead of combining everything in a casserole, combine them in the crock pot instead. Put the lid on the Crock Pot after you’ve mixed everything up in it, and cook it on High for about 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours. You can position a folded dish towel on top of the lid if your crock pot doesn’t get quite hot enough to cook beans normally. The dish towel helps maintain a temperature hot enough to just barely simmer the beans. Serve with Corn Casserole, Mixed Greens and Oatmeal Muffins or Whole Wheat Bread.

Not a vegetarian? Here’s the traditional version of this famous bean recipe – Boston Baked Beans.