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Home » All posts » Side Dishes

Healthy Baked Beans (with Lentils)

Updated: May 31, 2024 · Published: Jun 14, 2019 by Laura Yautz · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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If you're looking for a quicker baked beans recipe that doesn't involve an overnight soak, or hours in the oven, my Healthy Baked Beans with lentils is for you! Using lentils instead of dry beans shaves hours off the usual homemade baked beans prep time. These homemade baked beans are tender, smoky, and saucy, while still being a much healthier version - no added sugars, low sodium, low saturated fat, and still high in protein and fiber!

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Glass baking dish with lentil baked beans and a wooden spoon in it.

Baked beans are such quintessential summer BBQ food. You'll love this version of lentil baked beans for how easy they are to make, and how much quicker they are than traditional baked beans. Not to mention they're low in fat, sugar, and salt!

Healthy baked beans pairs well with all your summer faves: Quinoa Mushroom Burgers, Garlic Potato Wedges, and Red Cabbage Vinegar Slaw.

Jump to:
  • Heart Health Benefits of Healthy Baked Beans
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Substitutions
  • Equipment
  • Storage
  • Pro tip
  • FAQ
  • Related
  • Pairing
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Food safety

Heart Health Benefits of Healthy Baked Beans

Baked beans do have some redeeming qualities - especially depending on the variety - but canned baked beans do not tend to be a great heart healthy choice. While high in protein and fiber, they also tend to be high in sodium, added sugar, and often, saturated fat and cholesterol.

Lentils have a virtually identical nutrition profile to the usual navy beans used in baked beans. So we keep the high protein, high fiber aspect there. Plus, lentils are rich in polyphenols, and may help with weight management, lowering cholesterol, managing blood sugars, and overall lowering inflammation (1, 2, 3).

We use pureed dates in this healthy baked beans recipe, instead of brown sugar or molasses. This allows us to forgo added sugar completely, while still enjoying a bit of caramel-like sweetness. The dates also provide some extra fiber and potassium.

Another swap to make these low sodium baked beans, is using liquid smoke instead of bacon. This allows us to keep the smokey deliciousness of bacon without all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and other preservatives. Real talk here: bacon is delicious, but putting it on and in literally everything is very likely to harm your health (4) - or at least contribute to health problems. A slice on your burger once in a while is probably fine, but a daily bacon habit isn't such a good idea.

But that doesn't mean we can't have flavor! Another option here is smoked paprika if you can't find liquid smoke.

Ingredients

Surprisingly simple ingredients are behind these lentil baked beans!

Ingredients for lentil baked beans.
  • Dry green lentils
  • Vegetable Stock
  • Bay leaf
  • Dates
  • Ketchup
  • Low sodium soy sauce
  • Liquid smoke
  • Ginger
  • Onion

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

These low sodium baked beans are easy to put together, and most of the total time is hands-off time.

Dry lentils, vegetable stock, and bay leaf in a large pot, ready for cooking.
  1. Step 1: Place the lentils, vegetable stock, and bay leaf in a large pot, bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Small pot with hot water and dates in it.
  1. Step 2: Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat, add the dates, cover, and set aside.
Bay leaf being removed from cooked lentils.
  1. Step 3: When the lentils are done, remove the bay leaf.
Ingredients for the baked bean sauce in a blender, before blending.
  1. Step 4: Pour the dates/water, along with the rest of the sauce ingredients into a blender.
Baked bean sauce blended together.
  1. Step 5: Blend on high until smooth.
All the lentil baked bean ingredients added to the cooked lentils in a large pot.
  1. Step 6: Add the onions and sauce to the lentils.
All baked bean ingredients added to the pot, and stirred together, right before baking.
  1. Step 7: Stir to combine. Cover, and bake for 45-60 minutes.
Lentil baked beans after coming out of the oven.
  1. Step 8: Uncover the pot in the last 15 minutes of baking.

Hint: chop the onions small - to about the size of the lentils - so they almost disappear into the final dish.

Substitutions

  • Lentils- black lentils would work for this, but avoid split peas, as they will break down to mush
  • Ketchup - use any variety of BBQ sauce instead
  • Dates - if you aren't worried about added sugar, you can use about ¼ cup of brown sugar or molasses instead of the dates (still add the water though!)

Equipment

Make sure to have a pot or other cooking vessel that can go from the stove top to the oven without problems. Otherwise, you will need both a pot to cook the lentils in, and a baking dish for the oven.

You also need a blender to make the sauce in.

My favorite tools are linked in the recipe (affiliate links).

Storage

Store these healthy baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They can easily be reheated in the microwave.

These can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Pro tip

If you don't have a stovetop-to-oven safe cooking pot, use a pot you do have to cook the lentils in, and then transfer the lentils to a large baking dish to go in the oven.

Glass baking dish with lentil baked beans and a wooden spoon scooping some.

FAQ

Can I use red lentils for this BBQ lentils recipe?

I wouldn't recommend red lentils for this particular recipe. Red lentils cook up very quickly, and then start to break down, so you wouldn't have much texture left and mostly mush.

Can I use another dried bean, like navy beans, instead of lentils?

Technically, yes. For navy beans, I would recommend an overnight soak in water before cooking. Your cooking time on the stove will be around an hour to an hour and a half. Otherwise, you can follow this recipe as written.

Can baked beans be frozen?

Yes! To freeze, portion the beans into the amount you want, in freezer safe containers. Allow to cool completely. Then put the lid on the containers, and freeze completely for up to 6 months (quality may start to deteriorate after 6 months, but will still be safe to eat at long as it's been frozen solid the whole time).

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

  • Casserole dish with stuffed peppers in it.
    No Bake Chickpea Stuffed Peppers
  • Bowl of lentil and mushroom stew, garnished with parsley.
    Instant Pot Irish Stew with Lentils and Mushrooms
  • Bowl of white chili, garnished with sliced avocado, a lime wedge, and chopped cilantro.
    White Bean Veggie Chili
  • Pot of vegetable stew with soda bread dumplings.
    Vegetable Stew with Irish Soda Bread Dumplings

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with healthy baked beans with lentils:

  • Bean burger on a bun, with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and sauce dripping out.
    Quinoa Mushroom Burgers with Black Beans
  • Basket of potato wedges with a small bowl of ketchup.
    Garlic Potato Wedges in the Oven
  • Wooden bowl with red cabbage coleslaw in it.
    Red Cabbage Vinegar Slaw
  • Small tray with strawberries, blueberries, and white peaches arranged in the shape of an American flag.
    Red White and Blue Fruit Salad
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📖 Recipe

Casserole dish with baked beans in it.

Healthy Baked Beans (with lentils)

Laura Yautz
Using lentils makes this version of baked beans a snap. No soaking required! These are smoky and sweet, and go perfect with your summer BBQ, without undoing all your healthy goals!
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Party Food
Servings 8
Calories 254 kcal

Equipment

  • High speed blender
  • Large pot or Dutch Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Dry, green (or brown) lentils
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 5 cups Homemade Vegetable Stock or low/no sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 ¾ cup Water
  • ½ cup whole, pitted Dates
  • ½ cup Low Sugar Ketchup, or BBQ Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Low sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
  • ½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ½ large Onion chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a Dutch oven, or other large, ovenproof pot, combine lentils, bay leaf, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes, until liquid is completely absorbed. Discard bay leaf.
  • In the meantime, in a small pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and add dates.
  • When the lentils are done, remove from heat and set aside. Pour the date/water mixture into a high-speed blender, and add ketchup or BBQ sauce, soy sauce, dry mustard, liquid smoke, and ginger. Process on high speed until smooth.
  • Add date mixture and chopped onion to lentils, and stir. Bake, covered, for 45-60 minutes. Uncover the last 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 50.1g (17%)Protein: 14.7g (29%)Fat: 0.7g (1%)Saturated Fat: 0.1g (1%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 70.8mg (3%)Potassium: 532.5mg (15%)Fiber: 7.1g (30%)Sugar: 12.8g (14%)Vitamin A: 5.9IUVitamin C: 3.9mg (5%)Calcium: 33.3mg (3%)Iron: 3.9mg (22%)

*Nutrition information is an estimate, and will change based on the brand and individual ingredients and amounts you use. This is provided for your convenience only.

Keyword baked beans with lentils, lentil baked beans
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Food safety

Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.

  • Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
  • Make sure all needed utensils and equipment are clean
  • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
  • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
  • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
  • Never leave cooking food unattended
  • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
  • Always open the lid of cooking pots away from your face to avoid scalding burns

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

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Laura Yautz in her kitchen

Hi, I'm Laura!

I’m a Registered Dietitian and I love food and cooking, It’s my passion to help you discover how delicious and easy heart healthy eating can be! I’m glad you’re here! Take a look around. You’re going to LOVE Being Nutritious!

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