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!
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!
Smoky Apple Baked Beans
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
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
Nutritional info is approximate.
Have a lovely and loving V-Day!
Julie
February 20, 2013 at 5:28 pmDear Susan- I love your website. Your recipes are always wonderful. They are so easy to use. You have made losing weight a real pleasure. I have lost 55 Lbs. to date. Thank you for your work in devoloping these recipes and for being so kind in sharing your wonderful talent with others. I am looking forward to trying this recipe. It looks really good.
Valerie
February 21, 2013 at 9:56 amThanks; I’m going to make this today. Baked beans always taste so good on a very cold winter day. I’ll probably skip the dates and add 1/4 c. maple syrup to make Canadian-style baked beans.
Jessica T
February 21, 2013 at 11:14 amDelicious. I paired it with some honey roasted butternut squash and it was the perfect lunch for this cold winter day!
NBMaggie
February 23, 2013 at 1:09 pmDear Susan,
I use so many recipes from your lovely website and never even write back a thank you – says volumes about my manners, eh? This past week I’ve made two ‘Absolute Keepers’ of yours and so simply must tell you how happy these recipes make me. Earlier I made your Hearty Split Pea Soup (you know, the recipe which also adds diced potato – soooo good!)
I get so excited as I see the elements of the recipe come together…I know, I need a life. I’ve just finished setting the luscious pot of Smoky Apple Baked Beans into the oven to finish. Oh, they smell so yummy! Not a word of a lie, my mouth is watering even as I keyboard this comment. Now, I’m guessing it probably drives you crazy when posters say how they modified your recipe, but all I changed was the volume of sauce. It is so scrumptious that I knew that I’d want more so I doubled it just so I’d have enough to sop up my plate with some good whole grain bread. I know this is the kind of recipe that is better the second day but there’s no way I can wait.
Thank you so much for all the work you put into your recipes. It is appreciated by this old vegan who loves to cook.
Maggie
Sharon Seymour
February 23, 2013 at 5:24 pmI could live on the sauce for this dish! Didn’t have liquid smoke, so put in a bit of vegan Worcestershire and a little extra smoked paprika.
Julie
February 23, 2013 at 5:50 pmI made this recipe on Valentine’s Day, the day it was posted! It turned out great, and the only changes I might make next time is to just use one kind of bean and 2 peppers instead of just one. The sauce was perfection, loved the addition of the dates for thickening and sweetness. None of the ingredients were hard to come by, I had everything in my cupboards already. Thanks!
lindsay
February 25, 2013 at 3:31 amI made this last night as an all-in-one casserole with bulghar wheat – it’s lovely!
Heather
February 26, 2013 at 9:27 pmAbsolutely delicious! I doubled the sauce because I like a lot of sauce, and it turned out great. Not soupy at all. I love this recipe, but to me it is very spicy. Next time (I will definitely be making these again!), I will cut down the chipotle a bit. Thanks for another great creation!
Renard Moreau
February 27, 2013 at 11:47 am[ Smiles ] Smoky apple and baked beans; who else would have thought about that one?
Thanks for sharing another wonderful vegan recipe!
Esther J
February 27, 2013 at 7:17 pmI have been eyeing this recipe for the two weeks you’ve had it up, and finally was able to make it last night. Very yummy! I even got my stepfather, who generally doesn’t like my vegan fat-free cooking, but loves, loves (did I say he loves?!) traditionally cooked baked beans to eat a nice hearty serving.
I definitely will be making these for summertime BBQs!
Thanks, Susan!
Esther J
March 7, 2013 at 5:57 pmAlso, I should’ve added that the cold leftover beans made a very delicious addition to a nice, big eat-to-live salad.
Janna
March 1, 2013 at 11:42 amThis was delicious! I ended up using double the amount of recommended dates but everything else was the same. Normally I don’t look forward to leftovers however that was not the case with this recipe. I literally was eating this (and loving it) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Am already planning on making again. 🙂 Thank you for a fantastic recipe!
Dawn
March 1, 2013 at 7:44 pmI thought these turned out great, and the leftovers only get better and more flavorful. Some of said leftovers have gone into burritos – with rocket, chopped tomatoes, black olives, avocado and salsa. Pretty tasty!
maryeb
March 3, 2013 at 1:43 pmI made this the last week and it was wonderful, the best baked beans ever! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making it again very soon.
Sandy
March 8, 2013 at 10:16 amI just made these! I didn’t have dates so I used agave and I didn’t have the liquid smoke but they were still delicious…. and this is coming from a non-vegan. 🙂
SouthernBelle
March 27, 2013 at 7:39 amLove, love, love this recipe! It may be the best one you’ve ever made, but then I say that about all of them. I took it to a family party last weekend and it was a hit. The apple, dates and liquid smoke create the most incredible blend of flavors. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into making your blog and your recipes so family friendly and delicious.
Blessings!
Cindy White
April 11, 2013 at 8:00 amThis was a wonderful recipe and proves that I can still have rich and savory dishes. The use of the date was brilliant. I also tried the curried cauliflower and it also rocked. You are a rock star! I have not been disappointed by any of your recipes yet!
j l koz
April 28, 2013 at 5:34 pmI’m not totally Vegan yet,but I’m diabetic & count & watch carbs.
I love all vegetables except okra & artichokes,yet I love spinach artichoke dip.
I’m sure to find many recipes on your site.
Chris
June 8, 2013 at 1:15 pmrecipe looks great- love the dish, although it looks cast iron and your instructions say to use a non metal dish.. so I am kinda of entertained by that!! lol
Susan Voisin
June 8, 2013 at 1:19 pmThanks, Chris. The baking dish is made of clay.
Stacy
June 11, 2013 at 8:11 pmI love your recipes, Susan! Inspirational! Do you think I could cook this recipe in a crockpot?
Susan Voisin
June 11, 2013 at 8:41 pmYes, you’ll have to experiment with the timing, but I’m sure it would work great.
Emma M
July 9, 2013 at 11:43 amI made this recipe last night, and I think the only alterations I made was the addition of 7-grain tempeh as well as omitting the ground chipotle pepper (only because I didn’t have it). It turned out absolutely delicious! I usually have to change recipes a bit to ‘healthify’ them (or adjust to flavor preference), but thankfully I didn’t have to for yours :). The combination of the sweet apple and smoky beans paired beautifully. Thanks for the recipe, I’m sure I’ll be making it again soon!!
Robin
July 10, 2013 at 8:41 pmTried this tonight. Accidentally opened kidney beans instead of black beans. Also had some leftover lentils I tossed in. This recipe is a keeper! My husband and I really enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Jessica
July 23, 2013 at 9:41 pmI love this recipe! I have wanted to make baked beans for such a long time and with this recipe it couldnt be easier. I added a 1/4 C of raisins instead of dates without blending and added coconut sugar for sweetness and they are seriously yum 🙂
Allison
July 28, 2013 at 9:16 pmI’ve looked at many of your recipes. I’m finally ready to review one. My fiance and I are vegan are truly appreciated this thicker, heartier, vegan approach to baked beans. We added a little more tomato sauce, some lapsang souchong dry tea, white miso paste instead of soy sauce, maple syrup to the roasting vegetables, more garlic cloves, a whole dried chipotle pepper, a splash of bourbon whiskey and 1.5 apples total. We probably used less liquid smoke but the tea really added another flavor to it. We used braeburn apples and the flavor wasn’t there at all aside from some extra sweetness, and texture. This recipe was simply amazing, much better than any other generic recipe we have found. Next time I’d love to try a more flavorful apple. Thank you for this amazing recipe. The two of us at it all in one sitting. If you’re looking for saucy side dish, this is not it (double the sauce if that’s what you want). If you’re looking for a sweet/spicy baked beans that-could be chili-could be sloppy joes-could be gourmet-could be rustic-ultimately, heaven on earth. Right here.
Robin
August 7, 2013 at 3:16 pmSusan do you think this recipe can be made in a crock pot?
Jenn
August 27, 2013 at 2:13 pmThis was so good. I had been wanting to try this and we were wanting a filling warm comfort food meal. These were of course the main hit of the meal. The little that were left were just as delicious cold the next day. We had this with your easy Mac and cheeze, your confetti cornbread, and some steamed collard greens.
Alex
October 7, 2013 at 3:01 pmThanks for the recipe. It sounds really delicious. Instead of dates, I’m using a combo of molasses and a homemade apple BBQ sauce. Should be yummy!
Leiah
October 28, 2013 at 5:43 pmIs there a reason why you recommend a non-metal baking dish? I don’t have any non-metal baking dishes… Is it just for presentation’s sake, or does metal somehow affect the taste of the food? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
October 28, 2013 at 6:36 pmI recommend non-metal for two reasons. First, I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I always think I can taste the difference when acidic foods are cooked in metal. But more importantly, metal cooks faster, so if you change the dish you’ll need to watch it closely to figure out the correct timing since I haven’t cooked it in a metal dish.
Patricia Maddox
February 17, 2014 at 2:08 pmRead many times how good these beans are. Indeed, absolutely delicious.!
Susie
February 24, 2014 at 10:27 amI made these wonderful beans over the weekend, and they will definitely be in regular rotation for our meals! The flavor was wonderful. I doubled the sauce, since we like our beans a bit on the soupy side, and used a can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, since I didn’t have tomato sauce, but otherwise made according to the recipe. We loved it! Thank you, Susan, for your pkethora of truly tasty vegan recipes that make my life so much easier. You rock!
Carrie
February 24, 2014 at 3:36 pmThis is an amazing baked bean recipe with a delicious complex group of flavors that work so well together. A week ago I made this for our dinner group. It was a huge hit and many wanted the recipe! Everyone joked how it was that I hid bacon in a vegan bean dish because of the smoke flavor. This was the first time using ground chipotle pepper. It’s my new favorite!
Judeen
January 21, 2015 at 8:17 pmDelicious deluxe! I have made many of your recipes and all top notch. Great job.
Sara
April 25, 2015 at 9:09 pmCan these beans be made in a crockpot? If so, how long would you suggest?
Marlene
July 9, 2015 at 5:36 pmHi. I live in New Zealand. I like your fat free recipes, mainly the types that I can freeze in meal size containers. This suits my work/life style. The two recipes of yours that I have tried to date have black-eyed peas in them. Very tasty! I have lost a large amount of weight over last year. 44 kgs. I have learnt to plan my meals by putting food values on the recipe ingredients. Your low fat recipes are great for this. So glad that I have stumbled across your site. Thank you. Marlene
Carol
October 9, 2015 at 10:12 pmSusan,
I find your recipes very reliable and I’ve made a few and have more in the “que.”
This oen is delicious; I’ve made it twice within about eight days–and the first time I ate the whole thing by myself (not all at once).
BUT, you must add an addendum to this recipe. If you put some of the leftovers in a food processor, you will have the most absolutely wonderful, flavorful, delicious spread for crackers or a sandwich or even to just eat with a fork. I cannot think of any spreads which I’ve made (including some pretty good hummus) which is as good as this. It is definitely worth making the casserole just for the resulting yummy spread!
Thanks for all your hard work and for sharing it.
Michelle
January 11, 2016 at 8:12 amHas anyone made this in a crockpot,?
NBMaggie
September 12, 2016 at 4:42 pmSusan, I’ve just pulled this wonderful dish out of the oven. I’ve made it three different times now. The sauce is gorgeous and the recipe is very reliable, even when I change out the type of beans used plus it freezes well so I increase the amounts, but not exactly as set out in your original recipe. I’ve opted to bake my own beans rather than use canned and use a greater variety of beans. I’ve also more than doubled the last set of sauce ingredients because I’ve found the original recipe to be just a tad ‘dry’ and the sauce really is what makes the dish, in my opinion. (On its own, this is my go-to BBQ sauce.) I’ve subbed my homemade unsweetened applesauce for the chopped up fresh apple in the original recipe. I’ve never used the dates and I always add a couple of cups of diced fresh green beans to the sauteed veggie mix. I serve this with coleslaw and count myself One Lucky Vegan! Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe.
Angie
February 3, 2017 at 3:39 pmI have made this several times now and it’s one of my hubby’s favorites. The first time, I made it as per instructions here. Next time, I was in a rush so I threw it all into my slow cooker and just let it go. Honestly? tasted quite the same! So for those of you in a rush, slow cooker works! thanks for the great recipes.
Eiry
July 9, 2017 at 6:41 amCan it be frozen?
Thanks, it looks and sounds lovely. Adore the pig too.
Will give a rating after I’ve tasted it. 🙂
Susan Voisin
July 9, 2017 at 9:21 amThanks! Yes, it should freeze well.
Nicola
October 26, 2017 at 11:01 amThis sounds so good. I set up the slowcooker this morning for the family’s dinner. I don’t eat onions or garlic so I made it a tad sweeter and saltier but the spice is just right.
Sarah Catherine
December 25, 2017 at 5:39 pmMade these for the holidays and everyone loved it. Thanks for the yummy and healthy recipe!