Calico Beans

These are my Aunt Jessie’s famous baked beans. She makes them for all our family picnics and everyone loves them. I make them vegetarian by eliminating the bacon and ground beef. It isn’t necessary to replace the eliminated items but you can substitute tofu crumbles for the beef.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 6  slices bacon
• 1⁄2 lb ground beef
• 1  medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1⁄2 cup ketchup
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard
• 2  teaspoons vinegar
• 1 (16 ounce) can  pork and beans or 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can lima beans or 1 (16 ounce) can butter beans

Directions

1. Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, then crumble and set aside.
2. Cook beef in skillet until no pink remains. Add onion, sauté just until tender.
3. Combine beef, onion, ketchup, salt, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar in a 3 qt baking dish or crock pot. Partially drain all the beans (I don’t drain the baked beans) and add to the baking dish or crock pot, stirring gently to mix. Sprinkle with bacon.
4. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or cook in crock pot until heated through.
5. For vegetarian version just sauté onion and add to bean mixture. If using dry tofu crumbles it isn’t necessary to rehydrate them first, I just stir them into the mixture. It may require addition of water to the mixture if it gets too thick, I just play it by ear. When using frozen crumbles or gimme lean ground “beef” I heat it up in the pan with the onion before adding to the bean mixture.