The Dessert Aisle Addition That Will Make Your Baked Beans Unforgettable

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While Asian cultures use beans as a sweet stuffing for mochi or a paste to top Korean shaved ice, Western cultures tend to view beans as a strictly savory ingredient. That is, except for baked beans, the uniquely sweet and savory side dish that no barbecue or British breakfast fry up is complete without. The sweetener in baked beans tends to be brown sugar or maple syrup, but canned pie filling is the surprising dessert-aisle addition that will make your baked beans unforgettable.

Although our long list of uses for canned pie filling is dessert-oriented, fruit is a classic pairing for savory dishes, from cheese boards to steak toppings. In fact, a tip we share for baked beans includes using a splash of fruit juice to complement sweeteners like sugar and molasses.

Fruit pie filling is essentially fruit that has been simmered with sugar and a cornstarch slurry. The cooking process and sugar enhances the fruit's natural flavors while the cornstarch makes the juices coagulate into a thick sauce. A fruity richness and thick, syrupy consistency are boons to the taste and texture of baked beans. The fruit acts as a secondary sweetener and adds depth of flavor while the syrup bolsters the hearty, thick consistency you want in baked beans. Plus, the tender chunks of fruit are a tasty textural contrast to the pillowy, starchy beans. A good rule of thumb is to add one 16-ounce can of pie filling for every three 16-ounce cans of beans.

Not only will pie filling bring a sweet complement to baked beans, but it's also the unexpected ingredient for better pork. Pork is often served in baked beans recipes in the form of bacon or sausages, and it's also a common barbecued meat that baked beans accompany. So, you can kill two birds with one stone by using a large can of pie filling to season your beans and create a luscious glaze to baste pork chops or ribs.

Just as different fruits make tasty pie fillings, different cans of pie fillings will work well in your next baked beans recipe. If you're going for canned beans, we think Bush's is the best brand of baked beans. So just empty a few cans of Bush's baked beans and a can of cherry pie filling into a pot to simmer for a balance of sweet, tart, and savory. Of course, you can upgrade a scratch-made recipe for baked beans with fruit pie filling, too. For example, this chili pepper infused extra spicy baked beans recipe would work really well with the sweet, juicy fruitiness of peach pie filling. The brown sugar and apple cider vinegar in this recipe for slow cooker baked beans would pair perfectly with the tart sweetness of apple pie filling.