Fall Baked Beans

These baked beans are the perfect plant-based dish for autumn meals, with maple syrup and seasonal flavors that will take you right into cozy sweater weather.  They hit all the notes I need in homemade baked beans from nuanced sweetness to the woodsy quality of thyme.  In this recipe, tomato puree lends more brightness than commonly used ketchup, and rye whiskey adds the necessary touch of smokiness.

When you return home from picking apples, remember to save one for this recipe.  A brief cook prepares chopped apples for the baking dish and ensures they cook up tender but not too soft.  Before reading through the ingredient list, you can watch a glimpse of the whole process below.  Make sure to turn up the volume for a little music, plus lovely kitchen sounds.

Ingredients

3, 15-ounce cans small red beans or other small canned beans
1 Honeycrisp apple
1 small or ½ large sweet onion
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme plus additional sprigs for top
1 ¼ cups tomato puree
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup rye whiskey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For this vegan baked bean recipe, begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse and drain the beans.  Add to a rectangular baking dish with about a 3-quart capacity or that measures about 9 inches by 12 inches.

Next prepare the fresh ingredients.  Chop the apple into approximately ½-inch pieces, discarding the core.  The skin will soften as it bakes, so there is no need to peel.  Finely chop the onion.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet, cook the onions until they are translucent and soft, seasoning with salt, then add the thyme and apples.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples have begun to show signs of softening.  Stir mixture into the beans.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce for the baked beans.  Combine the tomato puree, maple syrup, rye whiskey, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, molasses, and kosher salt.

Pour the sauce into the baking dish, stir until everything is combined, and top with additional sprigs of thyme.

Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and bubbly.  The sauce will continue to thicken as the beans cool.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Scoop down to the bottom of the dish for each serving.