Three Bean Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound sliced bacon
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini, rinsed, drained
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the bacon, and cook it until it is crisp and browned. Transfer the bacon to paper towels so the extra fat can drain, then crumble it and reserve it for later.
2. Pour off the bacon fat from the Dutch oven, leaving 1 tablespoon behind. Add the chopped onions and cook over medium high heat until they turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Scatter the dry mustard and thyme over the onions. Stir in the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, bay leaf, beans, Tabasco, and water, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and move it to the 350 degrees F oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes and adding more water as needed. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the crumbled bacon.
5. You can also make the beans in a slow cooker for 4 hours on high, or 8 on low.
6. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.