Pork and beans made from scratch is my go-to comfort food that kids love just as much as adults! It contains bacon and hot dog pieces, but you can use your favorite meats. With canned beans and a doctored up tomato sauce, you can have this on the table in less than an hour! Don't miss the secret tip for making a thick sauce in the pot.
You will love this Pork and Beans Recipe
This homemade pork and beans recipe is a little taste of my childhood. If you didn't grow up with the tiny red cans of this stuff, your parents owe you a big apology. Little cans of sweet beans in a tangy tomato sauce with bites of hot dog and/or bacon, is just the best summer lunch ever. I want my kids to taste the dreamy mixture that is pork and beans, so I came up with a homemade recipe that comes together in less than an hour!
What are Pork and Beans?
Pork and beans is a delicious dish that is essentially sweet baked beans with slices of hot dog (pork) in it. It’s a great one-pot for camping or lunch boxes.
Homemade Pork and Beans ingredients
- Bacon. We need 3 slices of your favorite bacon here. We love thick-cut pepper bacon, personally.
- Onion. Just a small white or yellow onion, finely diced so that the pieces cook quickly.
- Tomato Sauce. One small 8-ounce can of tomato sauce is the backbone of the sauce for this pork and beans recipe.
- Molasses. Sweet and slightly smoky molasses brings a classic baked beans flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. The tanginess of vinegar is a must-have ingredient in all baked bean iterations.
- Yellow Mustard.
- Worcestershire Sauce.
- White Beans. Three cans of white navy beans. Do not rinse or drain the beans for this recipe!
- Hot Dogs.
- Gather all of your ingredients: bacon, onion, tomato sauce, molasses, apple cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, white beans, and sliced hot dogs.
- Add the sliced bacon to a heavy stock pot, and turn the heat to medium. Let the bacon cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat starts to render out of the bacon and collects in the pan. This takes about 5 minutes. Add the diced onions, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, until the onions are starting to soften and look translucent.
- Now, it's time to add everything else to the pot. Pour in the tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, freshly ground black pepper, undrained and un-rinsed white beans right from the can (including the can juices), and sliced hot dogs.
- Bring this mixture to a simmer, stirring it frequently so nothing sticks on the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes, and then give it a taste. The sauce mixture should be slightly thicker, and you should notice around the inner edge of the pan that some of the sauce has evaporated and reduced down. Add a dash of salt, if you think it needs it, and then serve.
Pork N Beans variations
You can customize the meats you add to this mixture. I'm using bacon slices and sliced hot dogs, but crumbled chorizo is really good here, too. I've also seen oven baked recipes that include large chunks of meat, slow-simmered in the sauce. This pork and beans recipe is more of a quick stove-top version.
Tips for this Pork N Beans Recipe
The tip to make this pork and beans rich and thick like the canned variety is to not rinse or drain the canned beans! Using the starchy liquid from the can of beans helps bring everything together. This means you cannot use freshly cooked beans, and you must use canned beans. It's okay, you can use them in my white bean soup recipe instead.
A recipe that uses dried white beans that you might like is my crockpot ham and beans!
Storing Pork and Beans
How to make Pork and Beans
This recipe can be served immediately or stored in airtight storage containers for up to 2 days before serving. To reheat, simply warm on the stove.
Can you freeze pork and beans?
Yes, you can freeze pork and beans. Separate the cooled mixture into storage containers, and leave a little headspace in each container for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, and then warm on the stove.
Try serving these baked breaded chicken strips with this recipe!
Homemade Pork and Beans FAQs
The beans part of pork and beans is typically baked white beans. This can be navy beans or regular small white beans.
My baked beans recipe contains bacon and a tangy mustard-molasses sauce as the base. Pork and beans is a sweeter dish with sliced hot dogs or sausage in it.
Pork and Beans
Homemade pork and beans on the stovetop in under an hour.
Ingredients
- 3 thick slices of bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- ¼ cup molasses
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 15-ounce cans white beans with their liquid (do NOT drain and rinse)
- 3 beef hot dogs, sliced
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a small stockpot, add the diced bacon and turn the heat to medium. Let the fat cook and start to render out of the bacon for about 5 minutes.
- Add the finely diced onion to the pot, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add everything else to the pot: tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, pepper, beans, sliced hot dogs.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring it frequently. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, and give it a taste. It should be slightly thicker at this point. Look at the edge of the pan to see if any of the liquid has evaporated. If it has, that’s a good sign. Add more salt or sugar, if you think it needs it.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Bacon: We need 3 slices of your favorite bacon here. We love thick-cut pepper bacon, personally.
Onion:. Just a small white or yellow onion, finely diced so that the pieces cook quickly.
Tomato Sauce: One small 8-ounce can of tomato sauce is the backbone of the sauce for this pork and beans recipe.
Molasses: Sweet and slightly smoky molasses brings a classic baked beans flavor.
Apple Cider Vinegar: The tanginess of vinegar is a must-have ingredient in all baked bean iterations.
White Beans: Three 15-ounce cans of white navy beans. Do not rinse or drain the beans for this recipe!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 514mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 20g
MaryAnn Coy
These are also good made with Beef or Turkey Kielbasa or Polish Sausage too.