Print

Cowboy Beans

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

These easy cowboy beans are hearty, smoky, and packed with layers of flavor. With crispy bacon, ground beef, and a bold mix of beans and sauces, it’s the ultimate one-pot comfort food!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 ounces hickory smoked bacon
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 small yellow onion, petite diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, petite diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (55 ounce) can baked beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) can light kidney beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) pinto beans
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Dice bacon and add to a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove and set aside.
  3. Remove all but about a tablespoon of bacon grease. Turn the heat to medium-high and add ground beef along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, crumbling with a spatula, until browned and cooked through. Stir in chili powder and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove and set aside to the plate with the bacon.
  4. Add onion, bell pepper, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to the pot and turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes.
  5. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
  6. Add cooked bacon, cooked ground beef, baked beans, light kidney beans, dark kidney beans, pinto beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  7. Cover with a lid and place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
  8. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
  9. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

  • Don’t skip browning the bacon and beef — this builds the base of the flavor.

  • The grease from the bacon cooks the ground beef and the grease from the ground beef sautes the veggies. This builds the layers of flavor throughout the dish and you’ll end up with a super flavorful dish.

  • Use any combination of beans you like just keep the quantity to about 100 ounces of beans total.

  • For extra heat, add a dash of hot sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, or diced jalapeños.

  • This recipe makes a HUGE pot of beans. Feel free to halve the recipe if you’re feeding a smaller group.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/cowboy-beans-recipe/