You were interested in the recipe so I’ve decided to post the exact recipe. I was so pleased with this! And I’m still loving my Pioneer woman casserole dishes that came in two sizes. I used the biggest casserole dish!

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried NAVY BEANS
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chili sauce (tomato based)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Rinse beans and place in a large bowl with water to cover. Set aside to soak for 2 hours or overnight. I like to do this the day before.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a large pot. Add 1 gallon of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until tender. (I had reduced mine to low and it still simmered just fine for about 1 and half hours. I tested a bean to make sure it was tender!) Be SURE and save the bean water though, you’ll need it!

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Oil or Pam Spray a large casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili sauce, BBQ sauce, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of the bean water (see I told you) and whisk it all together.

Put the drained beans and sautéed vegetables into the casserole, pour the sauce over, then stir it to coat the beans real good. Lay the raw bacon over the beans. (It’s gonna crisp up nicely in the oven). Bake uncovered. (Recipe said to stir occassionally, I didn’t stir mine much b/c I didn’t want to disturb the bacon!)

Recipe said to cook for 2 hours. I cooked for about 1 1/2 hours because it was done – bacon was done and browning on edges, etc. I tasted and it was perfect.

Notes

You can make ahead, let it cool, and put in fridge and rebake the next day. But I soaked my beans overnight and made the recipe the day of our cookout.

These were fun to make. While the beans are cooking you can do your chopping, sautéing, and making of the sauce. I’m adding this to my family recipes to KEEP!