10 Recipes

Cowboy Beans

Beans with beef and bacon — Cowboy Beans in a crockpot, Cowboy Baked Beans, Easy Root Beer Baked Beans, Fat Boys Baked Beans — for potlucks and weeknights.

Contributors

★ dinner

dinner

Cowboy Beans in a crockpot

This recipe makes a TON of beans. Plan to use a large oval crockpot or halve the recipe. it also freezes as well, for quick and easy reheating.

4 hr370 cal20 g proteinServes 844 saves

Melissa Pickar

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 pound, cooked and crumbled bacon
2 tablespoons bacon drippings
3 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
3 (15 ounce) cans pork and beans
3 small, diced onions
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
3, minced garlic cloves

Instructions

1In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onions until the meat is no longer pink; drain.
2Drain and rinse all of the beans except for one can of pork and beans.
3Combine the beans, cooked ground beef, onions, and remaining ingredients in your crock pot.
4Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

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Beans That Eat Like A Meal

A pan of cowboy beans stretches a pound of ground beef into supper for the whole table. Bacon, brown sugar, and a little mustard turn a can of baked beans into something people ask about.

Cooks on Pepper reach for these when there's a cookout, a church potluck, or a Tuesday night when the crockpot needs to do the work while they're gone.

Every recipe here is a real version somebody makes: Cowboy Beans in a crockpot, Southern Crockpot Baked Beans, Smoky Bourbon Baked Beans for a Crowd, Scratch-Made Molasses Baked Beans, and Loaded Baked Beans Casserole.

Quick Tips

1
Brown the beef first
Cook the ground beef and onion together for 6 to 8 minutes and drain the grease, or the beans turn greasy on top.
2
Save the bacon drippings
Keep 2 tablespoons of drippings and stir them into the pot — that's where the smoky flavor comes from.
3
Soak dried beans overnight
Cover dried pinto beans with 3 inches of water for 8 hours, then simmer 1 to 2 hours until tender before adding sugar or tomato.
4
Bake uncovered to thicken
Finish in a 350°F oven uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes so the sauce cooks down instead of running on the plate.