Calico Beans (Baked Beans W/ 3 Kinds of Beans)

Jen Santiago's Note:

This is one of my favorite cookout side dishs! My Aunt Char makes these all the time and I finaly got the recipe from her! They are a great side dish with hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad...the list goes on and they are yummy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb ground beef
• 6 slices bacon
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• ¾ cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can butter beans

Directions:

1. Fry bacon until crisp.
2. Drain.
3. Fry ground beef in fat until tender.
4. Combine onion, ketchup, salt, mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, and partly drain beans in a 3 quart oven container.
5. Mix well.
6. Add hamburger and crumbled bacon.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Reviews

[Chef #1367835]

This recipe is awesome! I put all the ingredients in the crockpot and set it on low for 3 hours. My husband is a huge fan of baked beans and said these are the best he has ever tasted.

[Food Police]

I made these for my husband to take to work for a pre-Thanksgiving pot luck. Major hit...glad I didn't 'keep it simple, and just make beans' as he asked. They went so fast that they were gone before he got to them, and I made a BIG batch! I DOUBLED the recipe and made a couple of small changes; I didn't double the ground beef, using 1 1/2 lbs total. I browned the ground beef in the bacon fat, (Had to take off my *Food Police* hat for that one!) adding the onion and about 1/2 tsp garlic powder half way to done. Then I drained any extra fat before adding it to the rest of the recipe. I used 9 slices bacon and 1 cup of brown sugar-it was plenty sweet. I also added a can of tomato sauce and a can of drained black beans for more color. Also, a teaspoon of Liquid Smoke gave a nice touch of flavor. I drained all beans except the pork and beans. I saved the liquid from the kidney beans in case it got too dry while baking, but I didn't need it. This recipe is a keeper for many reasons; it's quick, economical, looks pretty and best of all, tastes great! Thanks Jen.

[Heidi T.]

Nice & simple recipe! Like another reviewer suggested, I added some liquid smoke & I think it added some nice flavor. I added more beans and doubled some ingredients for a large potluck. I also omitted the hamburger and double the bacon for a less filling side-dish. Don't be afraid to use different types of beans or mix and match beans!