Spicy Tex-Mex Baked Beans 🇺🇸

What are Spicy Tex-Mex Baked Beans?
– Red kidney beans baked with peppers, bacon, and onions, seasoned with a blend of spices, offering a bold fusion of smoky and spicy flavours, inspired by the vibrant culinary traditions of Texas and Mexico.

Recipe Intro

Baked beans are enjoyed across the globe, particularly in English-speaking countries, where they are often prepared for a hearty breakfast or a quick lunch option. They complement a variety of dishes, ranging from traditional fish and chips to roasts and even sandwiches.

This recipe showcases traditional American-style baked beans from Texas, where Mexican cuisine frequently, if not always, influences dishes. Texans often serve baked beans alongside smoked meats such as brisket, ribs, and sausages. They are a popular menu item in many Tex-Mex restaurants and barbecue joints across Texas and beyond.

It features a distinct blend of ingredients, including sweet, chipotle, and fresh jalapeno peppers, resulting in a rich and flavourful sauce. This unique combination adds a bold twist to traditional Tex-Mex baked beans, offering a deliciously vibrant taste experience. Give it a try and taste the difference!

Essential Ingredients & Substitutes

• red kidney beans – Red kidney beans provide the hearty base for this dish, offering a meaty texture and earthy flavour.
  For a super easy and quick dish simply use canned beans. Make sure you drain them well before use; there’s no need to cook them separately. Just stir in the sauce, and they are ready to bake. You can swap red kidney beans with black or pinto beans for a different flavour profile and texture variation.
• bacon – I used pancetta, but you can add any cured or dry meat of your choice, such as sausages, pieces of prosciutto, smoked ham, or even chorizo or other smoked sausages.
• chipotle peppers – Smoked and dried jalapeno peppers that add a smoky and spicy flavour to dishes.
  If chipotle peppers are not available, you can use smoked paprika together with cayenne pepper for smokiness and heat.
• sweet peppers – they add sweetness to the dish, use any colour of your choice.

Seasoning

• molasses / brown sugar – If you can’t find molasses, simply add extra brown sugar instead. Brown sugar, which contains molasses, can serve as a suitable substitute, providing a similar flavour and texture to your recipe. Avoid white sugar.
• ketchup – Use a plain one, but you can also try with flavoured ketchup, such as BBQ or hot.
• Dijon mustard – As a substitute for Dijon mustard, you can use plain mustard. While Dijon mustard adds a piquant note, plain mustard can still provide a similar tanginess to your dish.
• cloves – Do not skip cloves, as they add a special note to the dish
• apple cider vinegar – This vinegar is preferred for its sweetness. Avoid using alcoholic or red/white wine vinegar. Alternatively, balsamic vinegar makes for an excellent substitute for apple cider vinegar in this recipe.

Optional: Because I love spicy dishes, I added jalapeno peppers to the recipe. This ingredient is optional, but if you want to add some extra heat, feel free to include fresh chillies as well.

Recipe Varieties

Mild version / Non-spicy: If you prefer a milder version of this dish, simply prepare it with sweet peppers and omit the chipotle peppers, jalapenos or any other chillies. To add smoky flavour, include smoked paprika in the recipe.

Vegetarian version: Instead of using bacon or pancetta, you can prepare spicy Tex-Mex baked beans by omitting the meat altogether or substitute it with vegetarian alternatives such as smoked tofu or meatless bacon strips. Of course, you can enhance the smoky flavour by adding smoked paprika or liquid smoke to the dish. For a protein boost, consider adding canned chickpeas or black beans alongside the red kidney beans.

Preparation & Cooking

• Start by preparing the vegetables. Finely chop the garlic, onions, and peppers into small pieces. Then, slice the bacon into small cubes. If you’re using larger chunks of cured meat, pancetta, or smoked sausages, you can leave them whole. Ensure you cook them for a bit longer before transferring them to the baking dish to ensure they’re fully cooked.

• In a medium-sized pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced bacon, onions, and peppers. Allow them to sizzle and fry, stirring constantly, until the bacon and onions take on a golden hue. This process may take about 5-7 minutes, but keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.

• In the final minute of cooking, add the finely chopped garlic. Be mindful not to overcook the garlic; a quick 30-second fry is all it needs to release its aromatic essence without turning bitter or burnt.

• Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, including the canned beans and 500ml of water. Stir everything together and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.

• Transfer the mixture into a baking dish. Slide the dish into the preheated oven at 180C and bake it for about 20 to 30 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together and intensify.
  As the dish bakes, the liquid will gradually evaporate, leaving behind a rich sauce. Keep an eye on the dish, ensuring it reaches your desired thickness and the sauce caramelizes slightly, creating a yummy aroma and irresistible texture.

• For a thicker sauce, leave it longer in the oven. The choice is yours on how thick or thin you want the sauce to be.
  Keep in mind that as the beans cool down, they will naturally thicken, so it’s best to remove them from the oven with a bit of sauce remaining. Avoid baking them for too long to prevent excessive drying out or thickening.

Presentation & Serving

Spicy Tex-Mex baked beans can be served as a side dish alongside barbecue favourites like brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. They also make a delicious topping for tacos, nachos, and other Tex-Mex-inspired dishes.
Try it with fried eggs or omelette, creating a hearty breakfast or brunch option that satisfies morning cravings with its fusion of bold spices and comforting textures.

Recipe Card