Mirthful Baked Beans (2026)

Check out a short video of me making this yummy dish here!

This is my take on New England style baked beans with maple syrup & molasses. I’m using Main Yellow Eye Beans from my friends Charley & Carol Baer in South Berwick, Maine

Rinse 2 cups of dried Maine Yellow Eye Beans & sort through to remove any rocks. Add to a heavy bottomed pot or medium sized Dutch oven & fill with water 1.5 inches above the beans, (optional, add a bay leaf). Bring to a boil, cover & simmer until beans are tender but not mushy, 1.5-ish hours. Add more hot water as needed to keep the beans covered throughout cooking.

Meanwhile, chop a medium onion & sauté in olive oil. Add frozen tomatoes, (about ¾ lb) & 2-ish  TBSP of water. Continue to sauté , stirring more often at first then simmer allowing tomatoes to thaw & begin to break down into a sauce. Remove from heat & use an immersion blender or food processor to puree. Add 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar, 1 TBSP molasses, ½ cup maple syrup, the spice packet (2 tsp Stock+Spice New England Baked Bean Seasoning) & 1-ish TBSP salt.

When beans are ready, remove bay leaf, drain & reserve the liquid. Rinse beans with cold water to stop the cooking process. Add beans back, along with tomato mixture & enough of the reserved bean water to make it a bit soupy. Bake covered at 325 for 5 hours. Check occasionally to stir & to add more hot reserved bean water, (or plain hot water), if the beans begin to get too thick. Add salt to taste and serve!

Enjoy!