Learn How to Make Great Beans!
These velvety and delicious dry beans from a 15 bean assorted mix you can find in your grocery store, offer more than soups. It’s beans, man! Amazing, lightly sweetened and flavor-packed beans! Don’t even bother with canned baked beans!
This recipe is one you’ll want to make year round!
It’s so easy, delicious and satisfying! It’s great to warm your belly in the winter. And, it’s great with grilled vegetables or barbeque in the summer. Let the Instant Pot and store-bought vegetable stock do all the “heavy lifting” in this recipe. You can sit back and leave it unattended because it’s so foolproof! It’s easy, inexpensive and, great for a potluck. It tastes at least ten times better than anything you can buy canned, too. Nothing artificial tasting with this!
What About the Pork or Bacon?
You don’t need it! This tastes delicious without it! You don’t need brown sugar or ketchup either. Just simple, healthy, clean eating ingredients that will improve your health. And, if you can save the planet at the same time by eating vegetarian or vegan, so be it!
Two Tips About Cooking Dried Beans:
I like to soak the beans in water overnight. You don’t have to, but, otherwise, they will remain a bit tough after cooking. Secondly, it’s important not to add salt to cooking beans; that makes them tough, too.
Afterwards, Simply Season!
After they have soaked and cooked, simply add the sweetener, salt and pepper, and you’re done! This makes a big batch, because you’ll definitely want leftovers. If you only have a small Instant Pot, you can cook two batches, one after the other. The cooking liquid is velvety and the beans will soak in more of it as they cool. No need to drain after cooking.
What to Serve with Baked Beans:
I love a good coleslaw with baked beans. They are picnic and grilling favorites. However, a winter coleslaw like this recipe would work perfectly with the juicy winter fruits and cabbage. But, you can serve these beans with and roasted or steamed vegetables, and whole grains or, brown rice. The perfect nutritional complement to beans because together, they offer a complete protein. They are better together, and offer more health benefits together than alone.
Another Option to Serve with Baked Beans:
However, the sweetness in the beans is especially great with carrots, parsnips or sweet potatoes. Here’s wonderful recipe for roasted sweet potatoes that would be divine with these beans. Just add some broccoli that’s been steamed in the microwave for 3-4 minutes with 2 tablespoons of water, salt and pepper…and you’re really set for a delicious and healthy meatless meal!
- 1lb bag 15 bean soup blend dry mix
- 3 C No-salt Vegetable Stock, or water
- 2 T Agave nectar, honey, pure maple syrup, or molasses, or to taste
- 1 t Sea salt
- ½ t Black pepper
- In a large bowl, add dry bean mix and cover with water by a couple inches.
- Soak overnight.
- Discard floating beans or skins.
- Drain water, and rinse beans.
- Add drained bean mix into Instant Pot liner.
- Add 3 cups of unsalted vegetable stock.
- Set Instant Pot to pressure cook, for 45 minutes, with valve sealed.
- When done, machine will beep; unplug and carefully unseal valve.
- It will release pressure for about a minute and a half.
- Remove liner from pot; add agave syrup, salt, and pepper to beans and stir gently.
- Pour beans into serving bowl while warm.
You might also like these other salad or vegetable recipes. I especially love serving this with quinoa. Check out these recipes for Instant Pot quinoa, too.
