The Sweet Addition We Never Thought To Add To Baked Beans

Baked beans are the quintessential barbecue side. They can be served savory and acidic or with a sweet sauce base, but no matter the flavor, they tend to hit the spot. And, while classics are classic for a reason, there's no reason not to spice things up — or sweeten things up in this case. So, you can add pie filling to your next batch of baked beans.

That's right, we're having dessert early by combining the fresh and sweet filling from your fruit pie with the earthy flavors of baked beans. Fruity pies already explode with a warm taste that perfectly compliment even the punchiest beans. By blending up the fruit filling ahead of time to get the right texture, it combines with the beans and aromatics that, when heated, create a burst of flavor. Not to mention this is a great way to make the most of leftover pie filling. Give your barbecue sides an upgrade with these sweet baked beans and you'll never look back.

To be clear, the whole pie doesn't get blended into the beans, just the filling, and the key is prepping the filling ahead of time so that it mixes more seamlessly with the beans. Note you'll need to adjust for thicker fruits, but you don't want a full fruit puree. You just want to quickly pulse it in the blender or with an immersion blender enough to de-clump the pie filling.

The best part of this hack is that it works with multiple types of fruit fillings. Apple, peach, and cherry are all good choices to add specific fruit notes. And, if don't want to add to the sugar content of your baked bean recipe, you can opt for a sugar-free version of any of these. No matter what filling you choose, you'll just want to keep the ratio to about one parts pie filling to about three parts beans. 

While pie filling might be the secret ingredient to give your baked beans a fruity kick, the key to success also lies in the added spices. Most recipes call for some combination of strong spices and aromatics, including but not limited to: cumin, jalapeño slices, bell peppers, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika. These pungent ingredients compliment the sweetness of the pie and keep the savory nature of the baked beans so they don't turn into a sweet mush.

The final key component of your baked beans is what to pair them with. Typically barbecue is served with a main meat dish such as grilled baby back ribs. To tie in the beans with the meat you could even use some of the same pie filling for sauce for your ribs. You can also balance the sweetness of the baked beans with an acidic or punchy salad, such as a creamy potato salad. The mustard and herbs in the potato salad brings out a freshness that compliments the heavy meat and baked beans, rounding out your barbecue with all the perfect side dishes.