Van Camp’s original oven baked beans recipe

Van Camp’s Classic Oven Baked Beans recipe from the back of the can’s label is my favorite, and arguably, the best, oven baked beans recipe in the world. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but these baked beans taste like a bygone era and were so much better than dumping a can in a dish. If they were my contribution to a pot luck dinner, folks appreciated the extra effort and always asked how I made them.

But, for some reason years ago, Van Camp’s stopped printing recipes under the label. Cost savings, I suppose, but there’s plenty of real estate on the front side of their label where they could offer recipes. Maybe it has something to do with competition — you can find plenty of canned options that use many of these ingredients, and all you have to do is heat and dump. Inferior canned options, but at least quick and decent.

Oddly, maybe only to me, this recipe isn’t even on Van Camp’s website. I can’t find it anywhere else online, and never have I been more glad to have saved an old, under-the-label, crumply, spattered, and torn recipe. It hit me when I made them for a cookout yesterday, to share the original recipe with my friends on the internet; in case anyone else has a taste for nostalgia and a reminder of their childhood.

My own variation follows the recipe. Yes, I tweak it to make it my own. Hope you do the same, and feel free to share your version in comments.

Van Camp’s Classic Oven Baked Beans

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 15-oz can Van Camp’s Pork & Beans
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons molasses (optional)
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare one quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cook bacon to crisp and drain. Crumble bacon. In casserole dish, combine bacon, pork and beans, onion, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire. Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring every 15 minutes. About 4 servings.

Personal notes: Adjust ingredients to your preferences. Molasses makes a nice difference, so I include it. I add chopped bell pepper and use less brown sugar. When I double the recipe, I don’t typically double the bacon.