Calico Beans is a hearty dish made in a Crockpot with a number of cans of beans, bacon, floor beef, and brown sugar tomato sauce. It is extremely simple to place collectively dinner. This facet dish doesn’t take a very long time to organize, and you may maintain it heat in a sluggish cooker, it’s the good addition to summer season picnics or recreation day watch events!
This submit comprises affiliate hyperlinks. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cowboy Calico Beans
It actually is a disgrace that beans get such a foul rap. Effectively-prepared bean dishes are nutritious, cheap, and, most of all, scrumptious. This Calico Beans recipe showcases an enormous number of beans in a candy and tangy delicate sauce that, when mixed, delivers a one-of-a-kind style.
Including bacon and floor beef, you’ll be able to simply serve Calico Beans as an entire one-pot meal or pair it along with your favourite starch for an much more satisfying supper.
A Bean Lover’s Journey
Rising up within the Midwest, potlucks weren’t full and not using a large sluggish cooker filled with Calico Beans. Named after the multicolored calico cat, this hearty dish combines a rainbow of beans with savory meats and a sweet-tangy sauce that transforms humble substances into pure consolation meals. What began as a cattle drive staple has advanced right into a beloved household meal that’s each economical and scrumptious.
Why This Recipe Works
- Good for potlucks and huge gatherings
- One-pot meal that’s good for busy weeknights
- Price range-friendly but protein-rich
- Make-ahead pleasant and freezer appropriate
- Customizable warmth and taste ranges
Meat Makes It a Meal
The bottom beef and bacon flip this facet dish into one thing hearty to function the principle course. When choosing the meat for this recipe, search for one thing that brings plenty of taste to the pot.
Purchase thick-cut or, higher but, slab bacon and lower it into medium-sized chunks. Large items not solely maintain as much as lengthy and sluggish simmering however supply diners substantial bites of smoky goodness.
You don’t have to stay with floor beef. Pork, rooster, turkey, or wild recreation wouldn’t be misplaced on this recipe. A very good substitution is Cajun-style bulk sausage meat for individuals who need an additional spicy kick.
Making This Calico Beans Recipe Vary-Worthy
Calico baked beans are generally known as cowboy beans as a result of they have been a staple on lengthy cattle drives. Since water was generally scarce on the plains, cooks began utilizing leftover espresso to boil their beans. This waste-not-want-not strategy not solely solved the issue at hand however imparted a fancy style to the recipe.
You may recreate this taste through the use of on the spot espresso. Add half the quantity of on the spot espresso essential to make one cup of espresso to the beans after they go into the crockpot. Stir to mix.
Suggestions for Making, Serving, and Storing Calico Beans
- Sure, you’ll be able to freeze this calico bean recipe! Put leftover beans in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to depart a bit additional room to permit for the meals to broaden when frozen. Don’t overlook to label the container with the date. Beans ought to final for about three months.
- Reheat the beans within the oven. Let the beans thaw within the fridge in a single day. Put thawed beans in an oven-safe container, cowl with aluminum foil and reheat in a 250-degree oven for about 45 minutes.
- Don’t overlook your favourite toppings and sides. Sprinkle on shredded cheese, chopped onions, pickled jalapeno slices, or sliced inexperienced onions. Serve with a chunk of cornbread, collard greens, coleslaw, white rice, or corn on the cob.
- Do it’s good to drain the beans first? No, you don’t want to empty the beans first. The ultimate beans are very thick, and it’s possible you’ll wish to add some further water. I usually open a can of beans, and I look and see if the water within the can tremendous starchy (the liquid might be cloudy), if sure, I drain. If not, I don’t drain the beans.
Try our different fabulous bean dishes on YouTube!
Calico Beans Crockpot Recipe
A colourful medley of tasty beans is smothered in a simple, made-from-scratch BBQ-ish sauce and cooked to flavorful perfection in a crockpot.
I desire to prepare dinner my beans in a crockpot, so that they don’t burn. The feel appears to be higher as properly this fashion.
Recipe Substances
Right here’s a listing of what you want:
- Floor beef – offers a hearty texture and wealthy taste
- Bacon – provides smokiness and depth
- Onion – creates fragrant basis
- Garlic – provides important savory notes
- Canned baked beans – present candy base and thick sauce
- Canned kidney beans – add agency texture and earthy taste
- Canned pinto beans – contribute creamy texture
- Canned butter beans – present delicate, buttery taste
- Canned navy beans – add delicate, tender texture
- Canned three bean salad – contributes ta angy selection
- Brown sugar – creates caramelized sweetness
- Ketchup – provides tomato tang and thickness
- Honey – offers pure sweetness
- White vinegar – balances sweetness with acidity
- Dry mustard – provides delicate warmth and depth
The best way to Make Calico Beans
Calico beans don’t take a lot time to prep. They may also be made forward of time and style even higher the subsequent day. Move me the new sauce and a giant plate of those beans!
- In a skillet over medium warmth, sauté floor beef, chopped bacon, chopped onion, and minced garlic till the bottom beef has browned. Drain if desired.
- Add all of the beans to the crockpot.
- Add brown sugar, ketchup, honey, vinegar, and dry mustard to the crockpot. Stir properly.
- Cook dinner on low warmth for two hours.
Recipe Suggestions and Variations
Bean Choice Suggestions
- Don’t drain beans until liquid may be very cloudy
- Be at liberty to swap bean varieties primarily based on desire
- For additional warmth, add Ranch Model Beans with jalapeños
Meat Variations
- Substitute Italian sausage for floor beef
- Use contemporary Mexican chorizo for a spicy twist
- Strive floor turkey or pork for lighter choices
The Cowboy Contact
- Take into account wild recreation meat for rustic attraction
- Add 1/2 tablespoon on the spot espresso for genuine vary taste
- Use thick-cut bacon for heartier texture
Storage and Reheating Leftovers
Fridge Storage
- Retailer in an hermetic container
- Retains for 3-4 days
- Flavors enhance in a single day
Freezer Storage
- Freeze for as much as 3 months
- Depart enlargement room within the container
- Label with date
- Thaw in a single day within the fridge
Reheating Directions
- Oven methodology (most popular):
- Thaw fully
- Cowl with foil
- Warmth at 250°F for 45 minutes
- Sluggish cooker methodology:
- Low warmth for 1-2 hours
- Stir sometimes
- Add water if wanted
Hungry for extra bean recipes? Give these a strive!
Favourite Crockpot Sluggish Cooker Recipes
Try extra of my simple recipes for dinner and the very best Crockpot recipes right here on CopyKat!
Calico Beans
These Calico beans a hearty sufficient to make an entire meal.
Print
Pin
Price
Add to Assortment
Servings: 8
Energy: 647kcal
Substances
- 1 pound floor beef
- 1/2 pound bacon sliced into small items
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 14 ounces baked beans
- 14 ounces kidney beans
- 14 ounces pinto beans
- 14 ounces butter beans
- 14 ounces navy beans
- 14 ounces three bean salad use half the juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Directions
-
In a skillet over medium warmth, sauté floor beef, chopped bacon, chopped onion, and minced garlic till the bottom beef has browned. Drain if desired.
-
Add all of the beans to the crockpot.
-
Add brown sugar, ketchup, honey, vinegar, and dry mustard to the crockpot. Stir properly.
-
Cook dinner on low warmth for two hours.
Notes
Variations:
- You may add Ranch Model Beans with jalapeno peppers it will add a pleasant bit of warmth to the recipe.
- You may omit the ketchup and honey if want.
- Change the bottom beef for Italian sausage.
Vitamin
Energy: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 32g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 6g | Ldl cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 1446mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 8mg
