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Smoky Apple Baked Beans

February 14, 2013 By Susan Voisin 99 Comments
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Smoky Apple Vegan Baked Beans from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Happy Valentine’s Day! I know that on this day of love, I’m supposed to offer you a rich, sugary indulgence or at least a romantic dinner for two with aphrodisiac potential, but what, dear reader, do I have in store for you instead? The lowly and much-maligned bean.

But wait, could there be any more thoughtful or loving gift of food? After all, in the words of the immortal “Ode to Beans”:

Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart,
The more you eat…

…the healthier you are! Or something like that. And it’s true: They’re excellent sources of soluble fiber, antioxidants, and folate. According to WHFoods, “As little as 3/4 cup of garbanzos per day can help lower our LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in a one-month period of time.”

And black beans, with their dark skins, are loaded with phytonutrients so they’re especially heart-protective. Moreover, beans are good for lowering blood sugar, promoting digestive health, and decreasing risk of cancer. We all want our Valentines to be healthy!

Smoky Apple Vegan Baked Beans

So my Valentine’s gift to you today is this sweet and spicy casserole, made with three types of heart-healthy beans. I couldn’t resist the chance to make a normally bacon-laden dish in the “pig baker” casserole dish that my sweet husband and daughter bought me for Christmas. I’d seen it in a local kitchen store and thought it was adorable, and apparently they were taking notes because they surprised me with it on Christmas day. I love his stub nose and floppy ears, and I’m happy to give him a home where he will never be forced to cook bacon or ham.

Speaking of bacon, most baked bean recipes almost cancel the health benefits of the beans by loading them down with pork and sugar, but my delicious vegan beans are sweetened only with dates and apples. And, if you’re watching your salt, you can cut the sodium in half by using unsalted beans. So cook them for someone you love today!

5 from 13 votes
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Smoky Apple Baked Beans

Gluten Free
Nut Free
Sugar Free
Since they contain no high-fructose corn syrup, these beans are subtly sweeter by the dates and apple.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 7 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings 6
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions finely chopped
  • 1 large red or green bell pepper finely chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 large apple chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can great northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 3 medjool dates pitted and roughly chopped (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke or smoked salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and minced garlic to the pan and sauté for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apple and cook for another minute. Add the beans and remove from heat.
  • Combine tomato sauce and all remaining ingredients in blender. Blend at high speed until the dates are completely smooth. Pour this sauce into the onion and beans, and stir well. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch non-metal, lightly-oiled baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Notes

If medjool dates are not available, you can use 2 ounces (about 1/4 cup packed) of any pitted dates. Or substitute 1/4 cup of any sugar or syrup.
With the dates, one serving is 2 points on Weight Watchers Freestyle program. The points come only from the dates, so if you substitute for them or use a different amount, the points will change.
Nutrition Facts
Smoky Apple Baked Beans
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 336 Calories from Fat 17
% Daily Value*
Fat 1.9g3%
Sodium 662.1mg29%
Carbohydrates 67.8g23%
Fiber 15.3g64%
Sugar 16.7g19%
Protein 15.7g31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Vegan
Keyword vegan baked beans
Have you made this recipe?Mention @SusanFFVK and tag #fatfreevegankitchen in your photos on Instagram.
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Have a lovely and loving V-Day!

Susan

 

Filed Under: Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: Casseroles, Chickpea Recipes, Eat-to-Live, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Weight Watchers Points

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Comments

  1. Amy Stephenson

    June 18, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    I’ve made these before and they turned out great. I’d like to make them for my daughter’s graduation party and was wondering if they could be made ahead and then frozen?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      June 19, 2018 at 8:13 am

      Sure! I think they’d freeze just fine.

      Reply
  2. Chris

    July 29, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    I entered “romantic dinner” in your search engine and this recipe came up. It was delicious and my husband loved it! Smokey, and the beans are not overpowering. And it is a mighty dish. I served it with tiny new potatoes (skin on) and baguette. It will become a staple since it is so easy to make. Susan, thank you for keeping up such a great site.

    Reply
  3. Celine

    July 14, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    This bean dish was delicious and smelled wonderful as it was baking. I didn’t have garbanzos so I used a can of tri-mix beans. I might have skipped garbanzos anyway. I love them, but combined with other beans, they sometimes seem like undercooked beans to me even though I know better. I might use smaller navy beans instead of great northern next time. It was nice to have a baked bean dish that was not overly sweet.

    This recipe is a keeper!

    Reply
  4. Melinda Mccullough

    March 9, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    Hi, I see in the nutritional info the cals per serving… However I dont see where the dish says how many servings total in the meal? So exactly how much is in a serving? (1 cup…2 cup? prepared) TIA

    Reply
    • Melinda Mccullough

      March 9, 2021 at 2:41 pm

      Ha ha…nevermind I found it

      Reply
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