This week’s edition of The Crockpot Chronicles is Baked Crockpot Beans!

I think canned baked beans really get a bad wrap for being “a poor man’s food” but they truly are packed full of nutrients and they happen to be one of my very favorite foods!  I eat them as is, on toast with scrambled eggs, on salads, etc.  There’s just so much you can do with them!!

White navy beans are virtually fat free, packed full of fiber, protein, iron…Just to name a few of the pros!

The only thing that tends to bother me a bit about canned baked beans is the high sodium content…So I decided I was going to try and make this at home in my crockpot because, again, cooking things from scratch just gives me a good feeling about what I am putting into my body.

These are good as a side dish or as the main dish!  I ate it as my main dish tonight with some brussel sprouts on the side and half of a fiber pita.  Delish!

Baked Crockpot Beans

This makes a full crockpot!  Cut the recipe in half if you want to make less.

Ingredients

1 pound dry white navy beans (or 4 cans drained and rinsed)

Water (for soaking the beans in)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar(feel free to use another sweetener)
1/4 cup maple syrup(feel free to use sugar free stuff if it suits your lifestyle better)
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp each of Epicure’s Herb & Garlic dip mix, Toasted Onion and Mild Smoked Paprika

Directions

In a large mixing bowl pour in the navy beans.  Fill the large mixing bowl with water and soak the beans for 12 hours.

*Note-you can also use 4 cans of white navy beans that are drained and rinsed.  If you choose to do this, you won’t have to cook your beans nearly as long in the slow cooker.  Skip the bean boiling step if you are using canned beans*

Once the beans are done soaking, drain and rinse them.

Empty beans into a large sauce pan and fill with water.

Bring beans to boil for 10 minutes.

Prepare vegetable bouillon (I used 2 heaping tsps of Epicure’s Vegetable Bouillon for 2 cups of water).

Pour vegetable bouillon and  1 1/2 cups of water into crockpot and turn onto high heat.

Add beans to crockpot.

In a small mixing bowl mix together tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup, dry mustard and spices.

Pour wet mixture into crockpot mixture and cook on high heat for about 8 hours.

Beans beans the musical fruit!  The more you eat….The more nutrients you are giving your body

Enjoy!

Tags: Beans, The Crockpot Chronicles