These baked beans will put all others to shame. This delicious side dish is easy to make and is perfect to take to any potluck, picnic, or backyard BBQ.
It’s that time of year to fire up the grill once again. You’ve invited friends over to share a meal of hamburgers and hot dogs, but you’re having trouble deciding what to serve as a side to compliment the main entree.
This recipe is the perfect side dish for anything you may be putting on the grill. Whether it’s burgers, hot dogs, ribs, or pork, these baked beans are a delicious choice to add to the menu.
Not only is this baked beans recipe simple to prepare, they taste like something you might get at your favorite roadside BBQ joint and will leave you feeling like a pit master after all the compliments you receive. With a few additional ingredients, this recipe allows you to take a boring can of beans and create a truly tasty side dish that will have your taste buds jumping for joy.
Why You Will Love These Baked Beans
- Perfect pairing with any main dish.
- Easy to prepare.
- Great to make ahead of time.
- Includes ingredients that you likely already have.
Ingredients For This Recipe
The ingredients you will be using are:
- Baked Beans – choose your favorite traditional beans. We recommend Original Bush’s Baked Beans.
- Hamburger Meat – makes the dish much more hearty.
- Bell Pepper – adds a splash of color and crunch.
- Onion – I prefer purple, but you could also use white or yellow onions.
- Honey – adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Mustard – provides a tangy flavor that will offset some of the sweetness.
- Salt & Pepper – used to season the hamburger meat and overall dish.
- Worcestershire Sauce – enhances the flavor of the hamburger meat.
- Bacon – perfect topping that you can leave chewy or cook until crispy.
How to Prepare The Baked Beans
You’ll begin by browning one pound of ground beef in a skillet. Once cooked, drain the meat and stir in the salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined. Next, chop up one bell pepper and a small onion. After your vegetables are diced combine the beans, cooked ground beef, and chopped vegetables into a 9×13 baking dish.
Next, add the honey and mustard and stir until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Finally, take slices of bacon, cut them into small pieces, and place them on top of the beans. This will give the beans that delicious bacon flavor everyone loves while also giving it a nice color and texture.
Adjust your oven rack to the center position and bake at 350°F for one hour. After baking, the beans will be bubbling and the bacon should have a nice color letting you know they are ready to be served and enjoyed.
Tips
- Trying to save time? Use the Original Vidalia Chop Wizard. It’s a fantastic kitchen tool that saves time and leaves vegetables diced in uniform pieces.
- Want to add extra flavor? Try topping these baked beans with our all purpose BBQ Rub. A ½ teaspoon sprinkled over the top of the beans and bacon are sure to leave you and your guests lining up for seconds.
- Want to give these beans a smoky flavor? Simply place the beans on your smoker or grill for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- Want to use something other than ground beef? You can easily swap the ground beef out for the same amount of ground turkey or ground chicken.
Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2 (28 ounce cans) Baked Beans
- 1 pound Ground Beef browned
- 1 Green Bell Pepper
- 1 Small Onion
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 5 strips Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C). Spray a 9x13 dish with non stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Brown one pound of ground beef over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain and stir in the salt, pepper, and worchestersire sauce. Set aside.
- Chop the onion and bell pepper into small pieces.
- Combine the cooked ground beef, onion, bell pepper, beans, honey, and mustard in a 9x13 dish and mix until well combined. Cut the bacon into small pieces and place on top of the beans.
- Bake at 350° F for one hour or until the bacon is crispy and the beans are heated through. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
Best bake beans I’ve ever made!
I would love this as a main dish! Great job!
Thanks, Paula. I’ve had a lot of baked beans from great BBQ joints, but these are my favorite. Awesome sweet and tangy flavor. Let us know how you like them.