I was raised in an Italian neighborhood in Montreal – tomatoes growing in small backyard gardens, Sunday lunches lasting an entire afternoon; those sorts of things were commonplace. But growing up in Montreal also meant that I had the privilege of being exposed to so many wonderful French Canadian food traditions, such as this recipe for Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans. Today’s Sunday Supper theme was regional specialties, and I just had to sing the praises of these baked beans!
Any Quebecker will tell you that baked beans, also known as fèves au lard, are an integral part of any sugar shacking experience in the spring. But these baked beans can easily be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or supper and throughout the year. This recipe for Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans is so versatile that it can be easily adapted for your meatless Monday lineup. I have also provided you with cooking guidelines so that it can easily be made in your slow-cooker or oven.
When preparing any recipe for baked beans, you will immediately notice that the prep time is minimal when compared to the idle time, and that it all starts with a good soak.
Rinsing and Soaking the beans: Before you soak your beans, it is important to rinse and sort them out. Remove any shriveled or discolored beans. Also, be sure to remove any small rocks or debris. With regards to the issue of soaking your dry beans, there have been different opinions as to the necessity of this activity. In my humble opinion, providing your dry navy beans with an overnight soak will allow you to reduce the total cooking time. Furthermore, it literally takes a couple of minutes to fill up a bowl of beans with water and leave it for an overnight soak on the counter. The overnight room temperature soak can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. Make sure you submerge your beans by at least two inches of water as they will absorb a lot of water.
Precooking the beans: Here’s another step which is highly debatable. Some will argue that since the beans will cook for a long period of time, this step is unnecessary. Once again, I will share the method that works for me. With that being said, I rinse and drain (again) the soaked beans. I will then place them in a pot of water where they will simmer for about 45 minutes. After which they get another rinse and are ready for the final step.
Slow cooker method: Transfer the rinsed precooked beans in your slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir together and place a whole onion in the center. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender. If the mixture appears dry, you can add some water. These Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans can be served immediately or refrigerated and served reheated the next day. These beans actually get better the longer they stay in the fridge.
Dutch oven method: Preheat oven to 225 F. Once again, transfer the precooked beans in your dutch oven or a large oven proof pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook for approximately 6 hours. You can remove the lid the last 30 minutes or so in order to obtain a nice golden color. As with the slow cooker method, if the beans appear dry, make sure to add a little water.
Non-vegetarian version: I prefer to make a vegetarian version of this recipe for Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans, however, I have been known to throw in some Italian pancetta or even some Canadian smoked bacon. The final product is creamy and smokey… just perfect as a main, as a side or even to top off those potatoes!
Nutrition Note: There is nothing healthier than eating a bowl of baked beans. This low calorie food is high in fiber, which keeps your intestines working properly; it’s also a great source of protein, which promotes healthy muscle tissue. As an added bonus, it even has a low glycemic index. There are just a few of the benefits of baked beans. Follow this link to find out more!
Origin of the recipe for Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans:
As I have preciously mentioned, I have a very large collection of newspaper clippings from the Food section of the Montreal Gazette. I’ve adapted this recipe from one such clipping. If you recall, this is not the first time I have sung the praises of the great white navy bean. Last fall, I shared a recipe for an Easy White Bean Soup.
Healthy Homemade Quebec Maple Baked Beans for your Sunday Supper… why not?
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- 1 pound (2-1/3 cups) dry beans (navy, great Northern...)
- water for soaking and precooking
- 1 medium onion
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (in a pinch I have substituted with ketchup)
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 3 cups hot water (for cooking)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- Rinse and sort the beans; remove any pebbles or debris.
- Place the beans in a large bowl.
- Fill with water in order to submerge the beans by at least two inches of water.
- Soak overnight (8-12 hours).
- The next day, transfer the drained and rinsed again beans to a large pot.
- Re-fill with water and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat and rinse again.
- Transfer the rinsed precooked beans in your slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, stir together and place the whole onion in the center.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender. If the mixture appears dry, you can add some water.
- Preheat oven to 225 F.
- Once again, transfer the precooked beans in your dutch oven or a large oven proof pot.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook for approximately 6 hours.
- Remove the lid the last 30 minutes or so in order to obtain a nice golden color. As with the slow cooker method, if the beans appear dry, make sure to add a little water.
For a non-vegetarian version you can add about ½ cup of uncooked Italian pancetta or about 6 cut up slices of Canadian bacon to obtain smokey flavored baked beans.
Thanks for dropping by.
Ciao for now!
Maria 🙂
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ONE FINAL THOUGHT ABOUT #SUNDAYSUPPER…
Every Sunday, there is a wonderful group of bloggers called the #SundaySupper tastemakers that collaborate together on a theme. As was mentionned, today’s theme was Regional Specialties and I think you’ll agree the line-up of recipes is totally amazing!
I would like to thank the event host for this event: Sue Lau from A Palatable Pastime Thanks Sue!
If you have a chance you should really check out these great regional specialties contributed by these wonderful food bloggers.
Buona Domenica e Buon Appetito!
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement
Appetizers:
- Crispy Salmon Bites with Homemade Tartar Sauce by Pine Needles In My Salad
- Loaded Tex-Mex Chile con Queso by The Weekend Gourmet
- New England Style Stuffed Clams by Caroline’s Cooking
Beverages:
- Brandy Old Fashioned by Curious Cuisiniere
- Wine Pairing Recommendations For #SundaySupper Regional Specialties by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Breakfast:
- Breakfast Empanada Casserole by Simply Healthy Family
Salads:
- Homemade Ranch Dressing by My Imperfect Kitchen
- Tupelo Honey Key Lime Vinaigrette by Family Around the Table
Sauces:
- Alabama White Barbecue Sauce by Cookin’ Mimi
Side Dishes:
- Delaware Crabs by Delaware Girl Eats
- JoJo Potatoes by A Mind Full Mom
- Long Beans with Coconut by Food Lust People Love
- Old Bay Cauli-Tots by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Southern Collard Greens by Magnolia Days
Soups:
- Mohawk Corn Soup by kimchi MOM
- Steve’s Famous Maryland Crab Soup by Monica’s Table
Main Dish:
- Amish Chicken and Noodles by Palatable Pastime
- Boiled Lobster with Drawn Butter by Taste And See
- Bison Steaks with Cranberry Chimichurri by Tramplingrose
- California Beer Steamed Shrimp by Nosh My Way
- Avocado BLT Sandwich by Brunch-n-Bites
- Cali Inspired Fish Tacos by Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Cheesy Tex Mex Enchiladas by The TipToe Fairy
- Cola Marinated Steak Tips by Hardly a Goddess
- Corn and Bacon Chowder by Moore or Less Cooking
- Crab-Stuffed Artichokes with Spicy Aioli by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Deep Fried Pizza Roll by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce by The Texan New Yorker
- Copycat Hattie B’s Hot Chicken by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
- How to Make Vegetable Lumpia by Asian In America
- Italian Hot Dog by Simple and Savory
- Mom’s City Chicken by My Life Cookbook
- North Carolina BBQ with Cole Slaw and Hush Puppies by The Freshman Cook
- Philly Cheesesteak Calzones by Baking Sense
- Polish Boy Sandwich by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Spicy Salmon for Tacos by Hey What’s for Dinner Mom?
- Tex-Mex Slowcooker Chicken and Beef Fajitas by Meal Planning Magic
- West Michigan Wet Burritos by Wholistic Woman
Desserts:
- Upside Down Angel Food Cupcakes by Cooking With Carlee
- Austrian Mohnnudeln (Poppy Seed Noodles) by The Bread She Bakes
- Butter Tarts – A Canadian Tradition by Red Cottage Chronicles
- Carob Cherry Crumb Bars by Pies and Plots
- Florida Key Lime Cream Pie by The Crumby Cupcake
- Fried Biscuits by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
- Gooey Butter Cake from Saint Louie! by Our Good Life
- Homemade Butterscotch Krimpets by The Redhead Baker
- San Jose Burnt Almond Cake by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
- Shoofly Pie by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Spanish Bar Cake by Get the Good Stuff!
- Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Plus Rhubarb Steamed Pudding and Favorite Regional Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement
Oohh, I love this!! I have always wanted to make baked beans from scratch!!! This is inspiring me to do so!
Hard to stop, once you start making your own. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
I love your instructions to fit every cooking method, Maria. So helpful. And your beans look wonderful!
Thanks Stacy! Can’t go wrong with baked beans… at least not in my neck of the woods 🙂 Thanks for dropping by 🙂
I LOVE baked beans!! Can you believe I’ve never attempted to make them myself? The shame! Saving this to make ASAP!
I believe it… it’s just a couple of years I’ve started making this recipe. Enjoy 🙂
These look fabulous! oh pure maple syrup! how I love it!
Thanks Renee! The maple syrup is definitely the best part 🙂
These look so good! Great northerns are a great bean! I grew up using it in cooking, too. Can’t wait to try these.
Gotta love them beans! Thanks for dropping by Christie 🙂
I love baked beans and I loved all the food I ever had in Quebec. I can not wait to try these!
Regional foods was really a genius idea! Love all the recipes that were shared… especially your JO JO potatoes! Appreciate the comment 🙂
I love beans of any kind! This is the perfect dish for me/
For me too! Thanks for dropping by 🙂
I love baked beans. I have only made them once but I need to again. I never precook them and find they are more than tender just after soaking overnight and cooking with the other ingredients.
I think it depends on the freshness of the beans… the option to precook is always available. Appreciate the comment 🙂
love the idea of having these for breakfast!
Healthy start to the day. Thanks for dropping by 🙂
Slow cooker beans are the best! Yum!
I totally agree Cindy. Appreciate you dropping by 🙂
Yum!!! I recently came into possession of my great-grandma’s bean pot. I have been trying to find the perfect recipe to give it a go. This is it! Pinning to make soon!
Wow… that’s truly special. Thanks for dropping by Carlee 🙂
You had me at Maple. One of my favorite ingredients for savory and sweet recipes.
I agree Eileen… I love maple syrup. Appreciate your comment 🙂
I almost tried making Boston baked beans for this week’s event which are similar, but I am glad to see your lovely-looking recipe and read about your experiences growing up.
Thanks Caroline. I’ve tried Boston baked beans and they are equally delicious. Appreciate the comment 🙂
I like these beans are made from scratch. It’s something I want to do instead of using the canned ones (yea, I know but it’s the way my family made them). The touch of maple is nice instead of the usual brown sugar.
The slow-cooker (or oven) really does all the work. Thanks for dropping by Renee 🙂
I love beans, this looks delicious!
Thanks Anne, appreciate your comment 🙂
Homemade baked beans are one of my favorite things to make – usually in the slow cooker – but I don’t do it too often. I’ll have to try your recipe soon!
I should make these more often too… especially since they are so healthy and so good for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Hi Maria, I’m about to place my beans and ingredients into the slow cooker. Do I put 3 whole cups of water in with them?
That’s right Shari. Enjoy! Appreciate your comment. Have a great week-end 🙂
Thank you!! I’m looking forward to this recipe. I’m pregnant and had a strong craving to make baked beans, although no one in my home appreciates baked beans, I’ll be extending an offer to other family and friends to enjoy them and deliver them to whoever wants them. Thanks again ???? I’ll be back to comment when they’re finished!
Congratulations! I had my own share of cravings when I was pregnant…truly hard to resist… at least yours is a healthy one! Just wanted to let you know that these beans freeze wonderfully…just in case the craving hits again 😉
These baked beans are delicious!! Thanks for sharing Maria. I will be freezing portions as you suggested. I’m surprised beans freeze well. Are there any tips to this? ????
I am so glad you liked them! When freezing your beans, make sure they are cool before placing them in the freezer. I will usually pack them in individual containers that are freezer safe; place them in the fridge for a couple of hours and then transfer them to the freezer. Make sure to leave enough headroom in your container and label them. I will usually keep them 4-6 months. You can freeze in smaller or larger amounts, depending on your needs. Thanks again for taking the time to comment. Happy Holidays:)