Kittencal's Baked Beans and Ground Beef Casserole

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

This is one of my family's favorite baked bean recipes, it's an easy recipe but big on flavor, and you can adjust all ingredients to taste ;-) The grated cheddar cheese is optional but I like to sprinkle it on towards the end of baking. I have even added in cooked el dente macaroni pasta.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion , finaly chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic (or to taste)
• 1 large celery rib , chopped (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper , chopped
• 1 -2 finely chopped jalapeno (seeds removed) (optional)
• 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
• 1⁄3; cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
• 6 -8 slices cooked bacon (diced)
• 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans in tomato sauce (or use a 14-ounce can)
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans , rinsed and drained
• ¾-1 cup barbecue sauce
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 -2 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• salt and black pepper (to taste, I use seasoned salt)
• 2 -3 cups grated cheddar cheese (optional) or 2 -3 cups mozzarella cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add in onions, celery and green pepper and jalapeno peppers (if using) cook stirring for about 5-6 minutes or until softened.
4. Add in the garlic and ground beef; cook breaking up the beef with a fork or wooden spoon, cook for about 6 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink; drain off fat from the skillet.
5. Stir in Parmesan cheese (if using) cooked diced bacon, baked beans, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, molasses, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; mix well to combine.
6. At this point you can adjust ingredients to taste, then season with salt and black pepper (you can add in a little water if the mixture is too thick).
7. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish or an oval baking dish.
8. Transfer the mixture into dish.
9. Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese (if using).
11. Return to oven to bake another 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has thickened.

Reviews

[sissaroo]

As always Kittencalskitchen came through.. My daughter said "wow mommy this is great" I did adjust to my tastes and added red wine to get the last of the sweet babby rays bbq sauce out of the bottle I also used a 28oz can of bushes beans with brown sugar and bacon and used a 15oz can of carribean black beans and a can of drained corn, schallots for my onion... it was even great the next day.. I always know I can count on the recipes from kitten...

[**Mandy**]

This was really nice, lovely smoky flavour and it went down well with both hubby and my 5 year old. Thanks for posting!

[Aleigha Nicole]

Amazing! I was looking to make a baked bean recipe because I'd never tried homemade before and I came across this and if it hadnt been Kittencal's recipe I probly wouldnt have tried it. So delicous everybody loved it. The changes I made were leaving out the capsicums (bell peppers) and jalapeno's. Added more garlic and extra mince. Served it on wraps with lettuce and sour cream. One tip for people looking for a litle bit of a healtier recipe it would'nt make a difference if you skipped the cheddar cheese on top TY Kittencal