Classic baked beans (American) (vegan)

The classic rendition of American baked beans, a staple which fed so many working people in real life and Western movies galore :). 
There are also beautiful improvements and variations of the classic recipe, across USA, neighboring countries or other countries of the world which have their own version of baked beans. I'll get to them as well, one by one, after covering this one.
Recipe source: The Bean Institute. 


Last year : nothing.
Two years ago: nothing.
Three years ago: nothing.
Four years ago: Cous cous au beurre (Algerian-Jewish).
Five years ago: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice).
Six years ago: Prosciutto-wrapped turkey fillets with early summer salad.
Seven years ago: Ganse Schmaltz Back-Kartoffeln (German goose fat baked potatoes).
Eight years ago: Stuffed baked avocados (Middle Eastern).


Ingredients (serves 4):

• 3 cups red beans
• 4 strips bacon, diced
• 1 onion, diced fine
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Soak beans overnight in cold water. Simmer the beans in the same water until tender, approximately 1½ hours. Drain and reserve the liquid.

Preheat oven to 325°F (160 C). Fry the bacon until light brown, add the onion, and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. 

Arrange the cooked beans in a bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish, and layering them with some of the bacon and onion mixture.

In a saucepan, combine molasses, salt, pepper, mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over the beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake for 3 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry.

Spoon into serving bowls and serve hot. It's done, dig in! :)