Baked Beans with Ground Beef

Get ready for a hearty and delicious side dish that screams comfort food – Baked Beans with Ground Beef! This easy-to-make southern-style favorite is the perfect addition to BBQs, potlucks, and cookouts, offering a homemade touch that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

You’ll be the most popular person at the cookout when you bring this hearty side dish! Made with tender beans and lean meat, everyone will go for seconds or even thirds. Adding cooked beef to baked beans becomes filling enough to serve as the main course. 

After one taste, you’ll agree that this easy recipe makes the best baked beans you have ever tasted! The best thing about it is that you can adjust the spices and vegetables to make it taste just how you want it to. 

Why You’ll Love Baked Beans with Ground Beef

• Tastes incredible, with a sweet and smoky sauce 
• Bakes slowly in the oven 
• Uses real bacon for a salty and savory flavor 
• The perfect side dish for cookouts or BBQ dinners

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

• Pork and beans: Use your favorite brand or store brand – it doesn’t quite matter because you’ll add so many other ingredients to make it taste better.  
• Ground beef: Lean ground beef adds flavor and protein to the beans. 
• Onion: Any onion will taste delicious in the beans. 
• Green bell pepper: The green peppers adds an earthiness to the beans. 
• Brown sugar: This sweetens the beans and gives them a deeper, caramelized flavor. 
• Ketchup: This gives a tangy flavor to the beef mixture. 
• Yellow mustard: This adds a tartness to the beans and pairs perfectly with the ketchup. 
• Worcestershire sauce: A tiny bit adds savory and salty notes to the beans.  
• Bacon: Thick-cut bacon will be best in the beans because they are easier to cut and chop.  
• Salt and pepper: Add enough salt and pepper to enhance the other spices.  
• Parsley: This is for the garnish and is optional.  

How to Make Baked Beans with Ground Beef

• Step One: Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Step Two: In a large bowl, combine your browned and drained ground beef, all four cans of beans, diced onion, bell pepper, 1 cup of brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.  

• Step Three: Lay out your bacon on a parchment lined sheet pan.
• Step Four: Mix ½ cup of brown sugar with ½ teaspoon of pepper and sprinkle all over the bacon.
• Step Five: Bake the bacon until it is just cooked and starts to get crispy.
• Step Six: Remove the bacon from the oven.
• Step Seven: Put the baked bean mixture into a large oven-proof skillet or 9×13 baking dish.
• Step Eight: Top the baked beans with the bacon slices.
• Step Nine: Bake for up to 2 hours.  The length of baking time depends on how you like your beans.  If you want a thicker, stickier bean, leave it in 2 or more hours.  If you like saucier beans, then 1 ½ hours might be more to your liking.
• Step Ten: Remove from oven and serve!

Equipment Needed

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• Large bowl – You need a big enough bowl to hold all the ingredients to mix them. 
• Wooden spoon – Use some sort of spoon to mix everything. 
• Parchment paper – This protects the baking sheet from the bacon grease. You can also use aluminum foil. 
• Baking sheet – Use a baking sheet to bake the bacon in the oven. 
• 9×13 inch baking dish – Use an oven-safe casserole dish; even an oven-safe large skillet or Dutch Oven will work. 

What to Serve with Baked Beans with Ground Beef

This easy baked beans recipe is a classic side dish to feed a family at a cookout. Here are some of my favorite sides and main dishes that taste delicious with hearty baked beans.   

• Pork Chops 
• Easy Stuffed Burgers
• Macaroni Salad
• Grilled Chicken 
• Grilled Flank Steak

Variations and Substitutions

• Use BBQ sauce. You can either use barbecue sauce instead of ketchup or replace the ketchup and brown sugar, depending on how sweet you want the bean recipe to taste.  
• Make it spicier. Add diced jalapeno peppers or cayenne pepper.  
• Any color bell peppers work. Try it with yellow or red peppers.
• Use maple syrup instead of dark brown sugar. 
• Use a different kind of meat. Try it with hot dogs or ground turkey.  

Storage Instructions 

These taste the best when hot and fresh out of the oven. You can’t beat that aroma and flavor! You can also make ahead. Store baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Baked Beans with Ground Beef Tips and Tricks

• Bake the beans for two hours or more if you want thicker bean sauce. 
• Remove the baked beans after 1 ½ hours if you prefer a thinner sauce. 
• Add seasonings to taste. Make them as sweet or tangy as you like, and adjust the ingredients as you go. 

How to Make Baked Beans Thicker   

The easiest way to make baked beans thicker is to cook them longer. It will cook down as it bakes, and the sauce will naturally thicken. You can also add two tablespoons of cornstarch to one cup of the liquid in the baked beans. Mix it and then add it back to the baked beans. As it cooks, it will thicken a lot faster. 

How to Make Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker 

You can also make this bean casserole in your slow cooker. Place a liner in your crock pot and pour the baked bean mixture into it. Let it cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours. 

Are Beans a Vegetable?

This is confusing because the USDA MyPlate has beans in the vegetable section because they are such a great source of fiber. They are also a good source of protein, so they are also in the Protein Foods Group. 

Beans technically belong in their own food group, known as legumes. 

Can I Use Dried Beans?

Yes, you can use dried beans to make baked beans. It will make the entire process take a lot longer. You’ll need to soak and pre-cook the beans first. Then, add the cooked beans to the remaining ingredients. 

FAQ

Beans Recipes   

Want more easy bean recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

• Dr. Pepper Baked Beans
• Slow Cooker Black Beans
• Cowboy Caviar
• Red Kidney Beans Bake
• Hodge Podge Soup
• Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans

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