I make baked beans a lot, being mostly vegetarian and having folks I cook for who like them a lot. One of the things I do to mix it up a bit, is use a "calico" mix of beans. For me that means black beans, dark red kidney beans and maybe great northern, which is the most common type of white bean I can find precooked and canned. I also have cooked my own beans from scratch, if that floats your boat.

Here's a link to one of my favorite recipes for "Italian style" baked beans from Giada DeLaurentiis. It features beer, which hubs likes. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-style-baked-beans-recipe-1916108

You can sub regular bacon for the pancetta, I almost always do. About the only other trick I could add is throw in a bay leaf when cooking but take out before serving. Works with dry or canned beans.

Speaking of boozy beans, here's one with rum, "Spicy baked beans with rum and molasses" from Mollie Katzen's "Enchanted Broccoli Forest." http://www.hampdenparkcoop.com/beans-ancient-diverse-and-kinda-fun

Pink - those both sound great. I’m going with the Giada recipe with a different mix of beans. DH is familiar with Giada so he’ll like that one plus beer is always a good ingredient and it sounds easy. I will probably help him make ahead and he can just reheat in oven or crockpot depending on whether something else ends up in the oven.

Some folks commented it was a little heavy on the balsamic vinegar. I like a strong "sweet and sour" note in my beans, but you might try starting with half of what the recipe calls for and adding more to taste.

I do add some prepared mustard, brown sugar, a bit of diced onion, and bbq sauce to mine if I am serving the baked beans with bbq ribs or smoked meat. I drain the pork and beans before mixing in all the other ingredients. Then I top with cooked bacon and bake in a large Pyrex dish. I never measure so I would have to guess, based on how much I am making.

I have also added a tbsp of bourbon, maple syrup, or whatever else suits me at the time, reducing other ingredients as appropriate.

Ooh, now I want to try yellow eye beans! As a plant person, I love beans because of all the variety. So many pretty colors and patterns and shapes!

I made "baked beans" from scratch once because I read about them so much -- I thought they tasted like a better version of pork and beans from a can not like midwestern baked beans that are baked with ketchup and sugar and maple syrup and are sweet and yummy. I was so disappointed!

There are so many different canned baked beans, Never pork-and-beans, and only a couple varieties of Hunt's brand are acceptable. I prefer the B&M baked beans and then doctor them up with BBQ sauce (homemade or bottled).

Try this one:

https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/moms-baked-beans/159554

Sushi- B&M baked beans are from Maine! It’s the classic Kindergarten or 1st grade field trip to B&M to tour the factory.

Pink - yellow eye beans are great, they can be hard to find.

LOL I searched for a recipe for Easter. What I discovered is they are all very similar. Even when one starts from "scratch" ya end up with the same thing and so many voted "the best" start with canned pork and beans so I would say don't sweat it. Just make the easiest one.

They always have too much sugar in them for us. Once I made a recipe that my niece said that everyone loved, it came from her Grandmother. Well, it was so sweet that I could not even eat it...totally gross! If I make them, I just make it up...started with a can of something like navy beans or great northern beans and put some mustard, some BBQ sauce, some bacon, seasonings like onion powder and garlic powder, maybe a little bit of brown sugar...then taste it and go from there. This is what my sister told me to do and it is more to our taste. Others may love that super sweet taste, but we don't.