Zesty, sweet pineapple is a versatile fruit that has become infamous as a controversial topping for pizza. Among its other uses, did you know that pineapple can also transform your baked beans? Unconventional as it may sound, popping open a can of the tropical produce is just what the chef ordered to elevate your bean dish and take it to the next level.
For the inside scoop on this fruity upgrade, Food Republic reached out to Marissa Stevens, recipe developer and food blogger at Pinch and Swirl. She let us know that pineapple “adds brightness and sweetness without making the dish cloying.” Stevens explained, “The natural acidity lifts the richness of the beans and the natural [sugar] caramelizes slightly as it bakes, which adds another layer of flavor. It’s subtle but welcome, especially in contrast to smoky or spicy elements.”
The flavor profile of baked beans is particularly well suited to a pineapple upgrade. The understated sweetness and acid perfectly pair with the brown sugar of the dish and the tang of other ingredients, like mustard, vinegar, and barbecue sauce or ketchup. When combined with pineapple, baked beans containing bacon or other forms of pork also invoke traditional Hawaiian cooking. In addition to the combo’s presence on Hawaiian pizza — which commonly pairs up Canadian bacon or ham with pineapple — the fruit is used to tenderize pork in Hawaii and is also often placed alongside the meat as a side dish.
Upgrading your baked beans with pineapple
It’s long been held that baked beans may actually be an aphrodisiac. Whether they are or not, they reach tastebud superstar status when combined with the iconic fruit of Hawaii.
To incorporate pineapple into your baked beans, you can simply toss the fruit into the mix with the other ingredients as you’re preparing your favorite baked bean recipe — whether that’s a traditional baked bean recipe or Boston baked beans. If you want the fruit to retain more of a starring role — with more robust, intact pieces coming forward at the finish line — Marissa Stevens prefers stirring in the pineapple chunks “near the end[,] so they don’t fall apart.”
While, in general, you should rinse canned fruit before eating it, Stevens uses the juice in her beans “in the sauce to thin and sweeten,” she detailed. In terms of seasoning a pineapple-boosted baked bean dish, she shared, “Spice-wise, smoked paprika and chili powder are a great match for pineapple — they give it a little heat and a savory backbone that ties everything together.”
Pineapple lends excellent acidic and sweet qualities to from-scratch baked beans. For a quicker result, though, you can also take a shortcut and use canned beans with your canned pineapple to churn out the dish. With a few additions, like brown sugar, mustard, chopped onions, and green peppers, these shortcut baked beans can come across as a legitimately homemade concoction. Simply saute all the extras, dump everything into an oven-safe dish, and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about two hours.
