Cowboy baked beans are delicious and easy with only 6 ingredients needed for a one pot meal for the entire family. Weeknight dinner friendly, a great dish during grilling season at barbecues and potlucks these beans fit a ton of occasions. Their smokey flavors and exciting textures will create a memorable dish!
Recipe Highlights
- How they taste: Cowboy baked beans are super hearty with a touch of sweetness. The beans re tender while the ground beef brings a chunky texture along side the earthy green bell peppers. The beef juices from the ground beef and bacon fat blend with the barbecue sauce to make it sweet yet savory at the same time.
- Skill level: Cowboy baked beans are a beginner cooks dream. It’s perfect for weeknights because there’s no heavy lifting. It can even be made in the slow cooker for a set it and forget it type meal.
- Storage: If there are leftovers, they will keep in the fridge easily 3-4 days. If you want to save it even longer you can toss it in a freezer friendly bag and freeze for later weeks down the line.
Cowboy baked beans are a mouthwatering dish that will transport you straight to the open range of the Wild West. This hearty and savory dish is a perfect accompaniment to any barbecue or picnic, and it’s hearty enough to be served as a full meal.
Made with tender beans slow-cooked in a smoky and tangy sauce with chunks of ground beef and bacon, cowboy baked beans are a classic comfort food that never fails to impress.
Get ready to dive in the flavors as I walk you through the simple steps of preparing the recipe. Let’s get started!
Ingredient tips
- Ground beef: The ground beef is part of the bulking along with beans in the recipes. I suggest leaner ground beef so there isn’t a ton of fat floating around in your cowboy baked beans. You can also swap it out for ground sausage as well.
- Baked beans: Chose the baked beans you like those most or rather the flavor. Personally I enjoy brown sugar but there are hickory, barbecue and other flavors.
- Green bell pepper: The green bell peppers are the recommended choice due to their earthiness. They pair well with the sweet elements. Think of how herbs play their part in dishes.
- Bacon: I am a firm believer to cook the bacon, remove it then use the fat to flavor the dish. This isn’t an ingredient you want to skip.
Chef’s tip
In recipes like this I like to save the bacon until the end. This is a personal tip, so in the recipe instructions it’ll say add it back in before baking. Saving the bacon until the end, gives the cowboy baked beans a nice change of texture when serving.
How To Make Cowboy Baked Beans
- To start, in a large pot brown the ground beef. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Remove the ground beef once it’s browned. There may be a lot of leftover fat from the ground beef. Drain this because we want to use the bacon grease for cooking. Now, add in the chopped bacon. Cook the bacon then remove it from the pot as well.
- Next, toss in the diced green bell pepper and onion. Cook until both are softened and fragrant.
- Add back in the ground beef and bacon. Along with the cans of baked beans, bbq sauce, brown sugar and mustard. Bring the mix to a simmer, then cover the pot and place it in the oven.
- Bake the beans for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down before serving.
Other Southwest inspired recipes
- Southwest Ground Beef And Potatoes
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Southwest Chicken Chili
- Cowboy Queso
- Crockpot Cowboy Soup
- Cowboy Caviar
- Texas Cowboy Stew
- Santa Fe Soup
Great family meals to try next
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Cowboy Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 8 ounces bacon (chopped)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
- 2 28 oz baked beans
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon mustard
Instructions
- To start, in a large pot brown the ground beef. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Remove the ground beef once it's browned. There may be a lot of leftover fat from the ground beef. Drain this because we want to use the bacon grease for cooking. Now, add in the chopped bacon. Cook the bacon then remove it from the pot as well.
- Next, toss in the diced green bell pepper and onion. Cook until both are softened and fragrant.
- Add back in the ground beef and bacon. Along with the cans of baked beans, bbq sauce, brown sugar and mustard. Bring the mix to a simmer, then cover the pot and place it in the oven.
- Bake the beans for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down before serving.
Nutrition
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.