Savory 'n' Saucy Baked Beans

This recipe is a nice way to dress up the traditional canned baked beans quickly and inexpensively. I've now started using organic canned items when available because they have a lot less sodium than the normal canned food. Even the low-sodium items had about half as much sodium in the organic version. The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, which will make it a little spicy, so you can cut that down if you want a more mild version.

Cost: About $5 ($0.83 per serving) - Baked Beans ($1.87), diced tomatoes ($1.09), green pepper ($0.89), celery ($1.49)

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (28 oz) vegetarian baked beans
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) organic no salt added diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon No Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the onion, green pepper and celery for 3 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition: (3/4 cup) 175 calories, 0.0 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol, 680.5 mg sodium, 39.0 g carbohydrate, 7.2 g fiber, 17.3 g sugars, 7.7 g protein.