Calico Beans
These calico beans are like baked beans on steroids! Four different kinds of beans, plus ground beef and bacon cooked in a sweet and savory sauce.
Bonus: calico beans can be baked in the oven, prepared in the slow cooker, made on the stove-top, or smoked on your smoker. All methods are listed below.
This bean dish was a summer staple growing up. It's the perfect side dish for potlucks and cookouts.
Check out some of our other favorite summer side dishes such as elote, classic lime jello salad or chilled spaghetti salad with Italian dressing.
It's not just a summer dish though since it goes well with any roasted meat any time of the year.
Sometimes known as Cowboy Beans, they're so hearty you could even eat it as a meal by itself! Just serve with cornbread or biscuits.
How to Make Calico Beans
Cook the meats: fry the bacon, then brown the beef and onion in the drippings.
This is the most prep you'll have to do for the recipe. After that it's dump and go.
Combine all the ingredients and either cook on the stove, bake, make in the crock pot or smoke it outdoors. Stove-top is the fastest method using a Dutch oven.
The recipe is quite versatile and you could easily use only your favorite beans or work with what you have on hand.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bacon - use your favorite kind.
Ground beef - I use a lean cut so I don't have to deal with draining grease! You could use ground turkey as a substitute.
Onion - we always use red onion, but any color will work
Beans - the recipe calls for pork and beans, kidney, black and butter or lima beans. Use whatever 4 cans of beans you have on hand.
Brown sugar - for sweetness. You could use about half the amount of white sugar, or sweeten with an alternative such as molasses, honey, etc. You're also welcome to use less sugar if you prefer more savory beans.
Ketchup - for tomato flavor and sweetness. Tomato sauce can be used instead.
White vinegar - substitute apple cider vinegar, or whatever vinegar you have on hand to balance the sweetness.
Ground mustard - adds flavor and balances sweetness
Liquid smoke - this gives the beans a wonderful depth of flavor, but can be eliminated if necessary, or if cooking on the smoker.
Hot sauce - not included in the recipe, but tastes delicious drizzled on top.
Can Calico Beans be frozen?
Yes! I've frozen them and warmed in the microwave. I prefer to portion them in ½-cup or 1-cup freezer trays using my beloved Souper Cubes. But you could freeze a whole tray for later reheating.
Calico Beans
This side dish features four different kinds of beans, plus ground beef and bacon cooked in a sweet and savory sauce. Hearty enough as a main dish with cornbread.
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 can pork and beans, with liquid
- 1 can butter/lima beans, drained
- 1 can kidney beans, drained
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Instructions
- Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces and cook in a large skillet until lightly crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
- Add ground beef and onion to pan and cook until browned.
- In a large bowl, combine the bacon, beef, onion, beans, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, ground mustard, and liquid smoke (do not use if pellet smoking). Stir to combine.
- Follow one of the methods below to cook:
Oven method:
- Add bean mixture to a large casserole dish or 13x9 pan. Cover
with foil and bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
Slow cooker method:
- Add bean mixture to slow cooker, cover with lid and cook on LOW for 1-2 hours.
Stove-top method:
- After cooking bacon, ground beef and onion, combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven or large pot, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Smoker method:
- Do not add liquid smoke to beans. Add mixture to grill-safe pan and smoke for about 3 hours uncovered at 250°F.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 583mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 25gProtein: 22g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
