It was a close thing when our power was out after the derecho that I almost made this week’s recipe of homemade beanie weenies hobo-style on a campfire. My sweetie rightfully reasoned, however, that the canned food would keep; the hot dogs and other freezer meat wouldn’t.
We had the campfire (read: firepit) going and were T-minus about 20 minutes from having a meat feast when the branches were removed from our power lines and the refrigerator started running again. Many people haven’t been as lucky.
While I was slightly bummed I was spared from making this on open flame, especially since the recipe even called for a campfire dinner, I must admit that it was nice to have the power back, the ability to control the temperature on the stove, and use my fancy Le Creuset and not worry about ruining its beautiful lilac finish. So, I opted for an indoor dinner. Plus, fewer biting bugs were a bonus!
What I found is not only a delicious, if sorta trashy, meal but also my favorite baked beans recipe to date.
The meal, while it worked perfect for the little skillet, did not leave any room for leftovers, and was rather hot dog-y. However, I am considering doubling it up, so I can have a better beans to hot dogs ratio, and just more of these yummy beans.
The recipe was adapted from a Country Living recipe that just called for beans but had hot dogs with buns as part of the meal. Me, I saw hot dogs and beans and immediately knew I needed homemade beanie weenies. Frankly (pun most definitely intended), if we didn’t like it so much, there may have been leftovers.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 15 oz. can small white beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T. molasses
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 t. red wine vinegar
- 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
- 6 hot dogs, cooked and sliced (I cooked them in oil in the Le Creuset before cooking the beans, but you can cook the hot dogs however you prefer)
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a 9- to 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic, molasses, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down. (I covered the skillet for part of the time to reserve some sauce, but I don’t think it was as necessary as I assumed it might be.)
Add the hot dogs, and cook for another 5 minutes or so until the hot dogs are reheated and the flavors have slightly combined.
Remove from heat. Stir in the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and enjoy!