America’s favorite sport is back, and there is no better way to kick off tailgating season than with this baked beans with ground beef recipe. These southern-style cowboy baked beans are rich, flavorful, and darn right otherworldly. They taste even better the next day.
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I don’t know about you, but we enjoy this dish year-round around here. So don’t be restricted to making it only in summer. It’s a hearty side dish that’s great for potlucks, BBQs, and Thanksgiving tables. Pair it with my banana bread rolls or hot dog buns.
Reasons Why We Love this Baked Beans with Ground Beef Recipe
Who doesn’t love a casserole? But why is this recipe a contender for becoming your ultimate favorite recipe? We have a few reasons:
- One-pot dish: Being a one-pot dish makes it super easy and quick. This recipe requires no less than 10 minutes of preparation, and the rest of the cooking will be done in the oven. It is fuss-free, so you can make it effortlessly on busy weekdays or a chill weekend.
- Comfort Food: It is meaty, hearty, and the ultimate comfort food!
- Versatile: For a healthier option, you can add veggies like carrots, broccoli, or zucchini.
- Great for a crowd: Double the recipe and serve at your next BBQ party or potluck.
- Enjoy Year-round: Although Southerners enjoy this dish in the summer, you can make it year-round, especially in those cold Autumn months.
📃Ingredient Description
- Beef: Ground beef is the main ingredient of this one-pot casserole. We recommend an 80- to 20 percent meat-to-fat ratio to achieve the perfect tenderness and heartiness.
- Bacon: We love bacon, and honestly, bacon makes everything taste so good. Good quality bacon, preferably hickory or applewood, will make a big difference flavor-wise.
- Baked beans: For this recipe, we love Bush’s original home-style canned baked beans. We’ll drain some of the liquid for a thicker sauce, but you can use other varieties.
- Brown sugar: dark or light brown sugar works. We lightened the sugar since the recipe calls for BBQ sauce and ketchup. Feel free to make it sweeter if you prefer. The sugar balances out the casserole's flavor and gives it a deep caramelized color that we all love.
- Apple cider: this adds a tang to the dish, balances the sugar, and brightens the other flavors.
- Onion: preferably white or sweet onion, as the taste of red onion might be slightly intense for this dish.
- Spices: To season this baked bean with meat recipe, you only need garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Pepper: Jalapeño and green bell pepper add spiciness and perfectly cut through the meat's fat.
- BBQ sauce: BBQ sauce brings out the sweet chili-like taste of the dish. It is also a quick fix for seasoning the meat and adds some smokiness.
- Tomato purée and Ketchup: I used a zero sugar ketchup to keep the sweetness down. Both the ketchup and puree add a robust flavor to the dish.
- Worcestershire sauce: a dash goes a long way. This helps to balance out the sugar.
💭Variations and Substitutions
It’s important to note that when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options for changing the original recipe.
💭Variations and Substitutions
- Use of Pork or sausage: You can also add lean ground turkey, pork, or sausage of your liking. You might have to balance the seasoning if you use seasoned sausages for the casserole.
- Add Mushroom: You might think beans and mushrooms are odd but go well together. Mushrooms add both texture and flavor to the dish.
- Peppers: Anaheim, other varieties of bell peppers, or Chipotle chili powder.
- Beans: navy, pinto, cannellini, and kidney beans are excellent substitutes if you can’t find home-style baked beans. You’d have to adjust the rest of the ingredients.
- Other flavors of baked beans: I have tried this recipe with smoked beans, bourbon brown sugar, chipotle, and hot honey, and it still turned out well.
- Sweetener: white granulated sugar or maple syrup can be substituted, but the taste may vary.
Click the "JUMP TO RECIPE" button at the top of this page, or scroll down to find the printable recipe with all the ingredients and instructions.
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Detailed instructions are outlined in the recipe card below, but here are a few steps with visuals to guide you:
Step 1: cook the bacon to release its grease. Don’t overcook, as this will be baked further in the oven. Remove from heat.
Step 2: Sauté the onion, then add the jalapeno. Cook and stir frequently until they are fragrant.
Step 3: Add the beef and seasonings. Stir to combine, and cook for a few minutes.
Step 4: Once the meat is cooked and slightly browned, add the BBQ sauce, sugar, ketchup, tomato puree, Worcester sauce, mustard, and bell pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 5: Add the slightly drained baked beans and bacon. Reduce the heat and simmer until it’s slightly thickened.
Step 6: Bake until cooked and slightly browned on the top. Serve the baked beans with the ground beef recipe and your favorite sides.
👩🏽🍳Maur's Tips
- Drain most of the sauce from the beans. We don’t want it runny, so we’ll compensate with the remaining liquid ingredients on the recipe card.
- I love one-pot dishes, so I’ll make this one simple. Use a Dutch oven or cast iron pot, which is easy to transfer into the oven for further cooking.
- Don’t rush the cooking process. We want a slow bake for all the ingredients to marry.
- You can also use this casserole as a dip with chips or serve it with garlic bread and pita bread. The bread soaks the deliciousness and is perfect for enjoying baked beans with meat.
How to Pair the Baked Beans with Meat
Although this dish can be enjoyed as a main dish if serving as a side dish and you're wondering what the best pairings are, here are some options to try:
- Potato salad (French style or American classic)
- Rice: white rice, jollof rice, or even dirty rice will pair well.
- Bread: any bread roll or my pillowy banana roll bread.
- Cornbread, whether savory or subtly sweet, like my eggless cornbread recipe, is a good pairing. Salads: green salad, cucumber salad, or herb salad like basil.
📝Recipe FAQS
Yes, this recipe makes 6-8 servings, so you might have leftovers unless you are serving a small crowd. Allow to cool, then place in an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight.
Once cool, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop before serving.
Yes. Cook the bacon and ground beef in advance, then sautee onion with peppers on the day of serving. Add the rest of the ingredients together with the beef and bacon. Cover and bake as directed.
Love Beans? Here are More Beans Recipes to Try:
Have you given this recipe or any other from my website a try? Please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and sharing your experience in the 📝 comments section. Your feedback means the world to me, and I'm excited to hear from you!
PEACE & LOVE
Maureen
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📖 Recipe
Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet or Dutch oven
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 5 slices thick bacon chopped
- 1 large sweet onion diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced (about ¼ cup)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- salt and black pepper to taste (I used 1 teaspoon each)
- 1 green pepper seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar (optional or more if you want it sweeter)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup tomato purée (from 29 ounce can)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 (28 ounces) cans baked beans (such as Bush’s)
Instructions
- Place bacon in a large cast iron braiser, dutch oven, or oven-safe skillet. Cook the bacon over medium heat for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s slightly browned and crisp around the edges. Be careful not to overcook, as this will be baked further in the oven. Transfer the cooked bacon onto a paper towel, leaving the fat in the skillet.5 slices thick bacon
- In the same skillet, sauté the onion for about a minute, then add the Jalapeños, stirring frequently until it’s fragrant (about 2 mins).1 large sweet onion, 1 jalapeño
- Add the ground beef, breaking it down using a wooden spoon or spatula. Season with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated. Cook for 6 minutes or until browned, and oil settles on the bottom of the skillet.1 pound ground beef, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, salt and black pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Meanwhile, reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider, mustard, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, and bell pepper. Stir to combine.1 green pepper, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, ¾ cup BBQ sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup ketchup, ½ cup tomato purée, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Add the slightly drained baked beans and cooked bacon from earlier. Gently stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Cover and allow to cook for about 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven.2 (28 ounces) cans baked beans
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the beans are cooked and browned on top, with a bit of oil settling around the edges of the pan.If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, cover it with aluminum foil, crimping the edges to seal.
- Remove from heat (remember your mittens; the pan will be hot). If you prefer, use a spoon to scoop out the excess oil. Stir and serve with hot dog buns, rice, or cornbread ( see post for more suggestions). Enjoy!
Notes
- Drain most of the sauce from the beans. We don’t want it runny, so we’ll compensate with the remaining liquid ingredients on the recipe card.
- If served as a side dish, it should feed 10-12 people. If served as a main, it should feed 6-8 people.
Sheryl says
Thank you.. thank you! This was easy and tasty! I made it for the holidays for my family that was visiting. I will be making it again for tailgate season.