These Kielbasa Baked Beans make for a hearty and flavorful summer side dish or spoon them over rice for an easy, satisfying meal.
I’m sitting down to write this post just minutes after serving these Kielbasa Baked Beans to my family for dinner. I made them earlier today so I could snap the photos while the the light was good and get this recipe out to you all before the long weekend, and, truth be told, I was just too tired to pull anything else together.
I’m so glad I didn’t go to the trouble!
You might think of baked beans as something you serve on the side, but, I’m here to tell you that this dish is so much more. It is absolutely delicious spooned over rice with a piece of Rustic Sweet Cornbread nestled up next to it like we had it tonight. The addition of kielbasa makes it plenty hearty enough to call it dinner. Toss a salad or boil some sweet corn and you’ve got yourself one incredible meal on your hands.
I love to include a hearty dish like these beans when entertaining a group. If you’re grilling, including a substantial side dish like these beans will ensure you have enough, even if a few unexpected guests arrive.
Plus, leftovers will reheat or freeze beautifully.
How to Make Kielbasa Baked Beans
This one-pot recipe is super easy to make. After you brown some chopped bacon you will sauté some onion, garlic, and kielbasa in the same pot. Then just add in all the remaining ingredients, cover the pot and transfer it to the oven to finish cooking.
After 45 minutes in the oven and resting for about 5 minutes, the beans are ready to serve.
Kitchen Tip
To freeze any leftovers, transfer the completely cooled Kielbasa Baked Beans into freezer safe gallon-sized zippered plastic storage bags. Push out the excess air and close the bags. Lay them flat in your freezer until frozen solid and then the bags can be stacked to save space. Be sure to label the bags with the contents and date.
Ingredient Tips
- Sausage – You can substitute regular smoked sausage or even andouille if you want to spice things up. Kielbasa, also known as Polish sausage, is a delicious flavor component in this recipe so I recommend giving it a try.
- Beans – Don’t be tempted to swap the Pork and Beans for another variety of canned baked beans that might be more heavily seasoned or sweetened. This recipe will add all the flavor needed and Pork and Beans work perfectly since they are very simply seasoned.
- Hot Sauce – A little heat is a really nice flavor component to this recipe so don’t be shy with the Tabasco. Keep the bottle next to the pot so people can add a few more shakes when they serve up.
- Molasses – My favorite way to sweeten baked beans is with molasses. It adds a distinctive home baked flavor and a gloss to the sauce that you don’t get with other sweeteners. I’ve also added just a touch of brown sugar, far less than you see in most baked bean recipes, and the result is not at all overwhelming – just a light sweetness.
Kielbasa Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ pound kielbasa sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 (28 ounce) cans Pork and Beans (like Van Camp's), undrained
- 15 ounces canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce (or more), like Tabasco, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place chopped bacon in a Dutch oven. Cook over MEDIUM-HIGH heat until evenly brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Drain bacon grease from pot leaving just a scant amount. Add the onion, kielbasa, and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion has softened and kielbasa is lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients and return the cooked bacon to the pot. Stir to combine well and allow the mixture to come to a low boil. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes until bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sauce will thicken a bit after resting.
- Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Is it two 28 ounce cans of pork and beans or 2 cans totaling 28 ounces?
Two 28 ounce cans.
Sorry was not a fan to sweet waste of homemade kielbasa
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you Tracy. The recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons brown sugar so I’m wondering you don’t like canned pork and beans? I’d suggest omitting the brown sugar if you do want to try it again.
Made this on the stovetop instead of in the oven and it turned out just as good
Definately going to try this. Sound great.
I’d like to make this in a crock pot. Any suggestions?
Prepare the beans as directed then transfer them to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Cook them on low for 2 to 3 hours at the most, stirring about halfway through the cooking time. Remember, canned beans are already cooked so you want to avoid cooking them longer than 3 hours in a slow cooker or the texture can become mushy and undesirable.
Made these for a chicken bbq of around 150 people. They loved them. A lot of them said they were the best beans they ever had. Did chance the the amount to about 6x the ingredients, of course. I also cooked them in the slow cooker. Will make them again.
Hey! Great recipe. I tried it tonight. Doubled the recipe (my family linked left-overs) used Bushes baked beans. Added some mushrooms and sliced pineapple. The pineapple added extra sweetness. Thanks for a great recipe.
Been awhile since I’ve checked in, Valerie, but you’ve been showing up in my Facebook a lot, yay! Can’t wait to try this one, I do my own little bootleg bean dish with Bush’s baked beans, onions and jalapenos, but I love the flavor combo you’ve laid out here!
Hey there, RL! Glad I’m still showing up in your feed 🙂 Hope you love the beans!
Can this all just be made in a crockpot?
Is it 28 oz total of the pork and beans?
You’ll need two 28-ounce cans.
Canned beans?
Yep! Canned beans are delicious, quick, and easy to prepare when you don’t have the time to cook beans from scratch. If you’re looking for tips on baking dry beans take a look at my Baked Beans from Scratch.
This looks delicious! I’m making this for supper tomorrow along with some cornbread Thanks for the recipe!!!
Fantastic, I hope you love it! I hope you let me know it turns out for you. 🙂
Valerie, I finally got to make this today, but with a twist. I remembered your Ryan’s Favorite Beans recipe, thought these would be good combined, and it was FANTASTIC! I made a few tweaks, natcherly, threw a diced jalapeno in there, used Dijon mustard, but basically combined the two recipes, SO GOOD. I posted a pic on your Facebook, thanks again for great food, me an the wife loved it!
Love what you did with it, RL! I need to go look for that picture 🙂