Skillet Vegan Baked Beans with Plant-Based Sausage

With all the flavor of the traditional oven-cooked dish, skillet vegan baked beans with plant-based sausage is delicious with a crusty dark bread like pumpernickel or a dark sourdough.

Though this recipe calls for navy beans, which are more traditional to the classic recipe, feel free to swap in another type of white bean. Great Northern beans are a slightly larger white bean that works well. Cannellini would be fine, though they tend to already be on the softer side, and a firm bean is best for this dish.

What to serve with vegan baked beans

This is an easy and fairly quick preparation that’s perfect for a chilly weeknight. In addition to the dark bread, all you need to complete the meal is a simple salad or coleslaw.

If you’d like a larger meal, baked or microwaved potatoes, or better yet, sweet potatoes, or a simple cooked grain like quinoa, all work well. 

Other variations:For a bolder flavor, replace half of the maple syrup with molasses or barley malt syrup. Use vegan hot dogs in place of vegan sausage. Since they’re smaller and less intense, you can use 4 links, or more, as you’d like.

Vegan sausage brands

Beyond, Field Roast, Gardein, Morningstar Farms, No Evil, Tofurky, and The Very Good Butchers all make excellent vegan sausage. You may find store brands as well. They’re all good!

You won’t be afraid to find out “how the sausage gets made,” as the saying goes, as the main ingredients are usually vital wheat gluten and/or tofu (be alert, though, if you have gluten or soy sensitivity).

Recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

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Yield: 6

Skillet Baked Beans with Vegan Sausage

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With all the flavor of the traditional oven-cooked dish, skillet baked beans with vegan sausage is delicious with a crusty dark bread like pumpernickel or a dark sourdough.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 links vegan sausage, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• Three 15-ounce cans navy beans, drained and rinsed, or 4 1/2 to 5 cups cooked beans (about 2 cups raw)
• 1/3 cup good-quality ketchup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning blend, any variety (see Note)
• 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and sausage and continue to sauté, stirring often, until all are golden here and there, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the skillet along with 1/4 cup water. Stir together and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. 
3. Serve at once in shallow bowls.

Notes

Look for barbecue seasoning in the spice section of most supermarkets. The most widely available brand is McCormick, which offers Smoky Maple and lots of other flavor variations.

Variations: 

For a bolder flavor, replace half of the maple syrup with molasses or barley malt syrup.

Use vegan hot dogs in place of vegan sausage. Since they’re smaller and less intense, you can use 4 links, or more, as you’d like.

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