Baked Beans (With Ground Beef And Bacon)

Take baked beans up a notch by making these baked beans with ground beef. This southern-style baked beans recipe is loaded in the best possible way with just the right balance of savory and sweet to be the perfect side for any BBQ.

 

Why We Love Baked Beans With Ground Beef

• Flexible Recipe – Don’t get too hung up on measuring exactly, you can easily adjust this recipe to your own tastes or use what you have in your own pantry or fridge. I often adjust this recipe and it still comes out delicious.
• Great Side Dish Or Meal On Its Own – I usually make this as a side dish when we are firing up the grill cooking burgers or grilled chicken. I have put the leftovers over rice for a great lunch too.
• Flavorful – This southern baked bean recipe takes regular baked beans and takes them up a notch or five! I first had this dish when I was living in Georgia and quickly learned basic baked beans just won’t always do!

Ingredients For Baked Beans With Ground Beef

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper diced
• 1 pound ground beef I like to use a lean ground beef, but if you have 80/20 or higher just drain any excess oil
• 1 cup bacon diced, this is about a pound of bacon but it is also ok to just use 4-6 strips for flavor. I prefer a little extra bacon though. You can use cooked bacon or uncooked bacon and just sautee it until cooked. Ham can also be swapped for bacon.
• 42 ounces baked beans canned with sauce you need three cans of beans that are14-16 ounces of baked beans. You can use your favorite brand of canned baked beans.
• 1/4 cup ketchup – can also use your favorite BBQ sauce.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard – you can also use yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

How To Make Baked Beans With Ground Beef

1. Dice the onion and the bell pepper into small 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and green bell pepper, and cook, stirring, for about 3-4 minutes or until softened.

3. Add the ground beef and diced bacon to the skillet and cook. Stir to break up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Keep stirring occasionally and cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain any excess oil if needed.
4. Add the baked beans with sauce, tomato ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and garlic powder to the skillet. Stir to combine, then heat until it starts to bubble. Keep the temperature so that the whole pan simmers for 10 minutes, I usually turn the stove to medium heat. Then serve and enjoy!

Can I Make These Baked Beans In The Crock Pot?

Yes this recipe is pretty easy to make in the crock pot, and I like making it this way when I need them to stay warm for a while. You’ll still need to sautee the vegetables and meat in a pan. After the beef has been browned, pour the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on high heat for about an hour, or on low heat for about two hours to heat the beans through, then serve and enjoy.

Variations For Baked Beans (With Ground Beef)

Bell Pepper – I used a green bell pepper but you can use red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper or orange bell pepper to give the means a little more color. You can also add more bell pepper if you like it.

Bacon – I’ve mentioned previously you can use cooked bacon or raw bacon. If the bacon is raw it’s really easy to crisp it up in a pan. Other meats like ham can also be used and add a lot of great flavor.

Try Ground Turkey – Now hear me out, if you want a meaty baked bean but want to keep it a little leaner ground turkey is a great way to go. The other ingredients in this recipe will add plenty of flavor so that the ground turkey is delicious. I will often use ground turkey if I am turning this dish into dinner over rice.

Beans – While I’ve used three cans of baked beans, you can swap in cans of kidney beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans, or even pinto beans, just drain the beans well before adding them to the pan. This is an area where you can definitely use what you have on hand. If the beans need a little more sauce add a little more ketchup.

Make The Beans Spicier – When I want to kick it up a notch I’ll dice up a jalapeno (without the seeds) or add a little hot sauce. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, though I usually prefer to add it at the table.

Skip the Worcestershire – Worcestershire adds a lot of savory flavor to the dish, but I don’t always have it on hand. If you don’t have it either you can skip it altogether. I also will sometimes add a tablespoon of vinegar when I skip Worcestershire sauce to help balance the sweet flavors.

Is This Baked Bean Recipe A Side Dish Or A Main Dish?

I usually serve these baked beans as a side dish. They are pretty hearty and can easily be a main dish if served with some coleslaw and a side of cornbread. You can also add hot dogs to make more of a beans and weiners if you prefer.

How Long Will Baked Beans With Ground Beef Last?

Expect leftovers of this recipe will last for about three days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.