Baked Beans with Bacon

By 12_34

Ingredients

• 3 oz. pancetta, diced
• 5 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 TBSP. minced peeled ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 (15 oz.)can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 3 TBSP. molasses
• 1 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBSP. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.)can navy beans, undrained
• 2 hamburger buns or 3 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pancetta and about 2/3's of the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon and pancetta to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Reserve the drippings in the skillet.

2. Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the molasses, Worchestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the pinto beans, then add the navy beans and their liquid and return to a simmer. Stir in the pancetta-bacon mixture. Tansfer to a 2-quart baking dish.

3. Pulse the buns or bread with the remaining uncooked bacon in a food processor until finely ground. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the bean mixture. Cover and bake 45 minutes, then uncover and bake until the crumbs are golden brown, about 20 more minutes.