Easy Stovetop Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips
• 1/2 peeled onion, stem intact
• 4 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Set a large soup pot over medium heat and cook the bacon, turning it frequently, for 5 minutes, until it’s browned. Pour off and discard about half of the extra fat, then reserve about 1/4 cup of the bacon for garnish.
2. Add the onion half, drained beans, tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, mustard powder, bay leaf, salt, and water to the pot. Keep the heat at medium and bring everything to a simmer.
3. Put the lid on the pot and let the beans simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. If it still looks thinner than you want, take the lid off for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Fish out the onion half and bay leaf.
4. Serve the beans straight from the pot, or move them to a bowl, and scatter the reserved bacon over the top.