Vegetarian Baked Beans – Slow Cooker Recipe

This vegetarian baked beans recipe is easy to make in the slow cooker. See how easy it is to achieve all the flavor of old-fashioned baked beans, without the meat. We think these meatless baked beans, slow cooker style, might even make it onto your list of favorites. Vegetarian Baked Beans – Slow Cooker Recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried beans (such as Great Northern)
• 1 large onion, diced fine (around 1 3/4 cups) — save the end
• 1 cup water
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (a vegetarian version)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 8 whole cloves

Instructions

1. The night before, pick through the beans to remove any stones, then place in a bowl and cover with enough water to cover the beans by two inches. Soak overnight.
2. In the morning, mix together all ingredients except the beans, onion, and cloves in a large bowl.
3. In the bottom of minimum 4-quart slow cooker, layer the diced onion, then add the beans*.
4. Pour the liquid mixture over the beans, then add up to an additional 3 cups of water until the tops of the beans are just submerged.
5. For extra flavor, take the reserved onion end and press 8 cloves into it in a circle. I used a skewer to make the holes before inserting the cloves. (I also used more than 8 cloves, which I think overpowered the beans a bit, so in the future I will be using less!) Place the onion end into the center of the beans. Remove before eating.
6. Cook the beans on high for 6-8 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours. I left mine in the pot on low for around 12 hours (it was a long day), and as you might expect, they taste better the longer they sit.

Additional Notes:

If vegetarian baked beans will be in the slow cooker for less than 8 hours, parboil them first for 30 minutes before adding them. If the cook time will be longer than 8 hours, there is no need to parboil.

Source: newengland.com