Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Simple Baked Beans with Ground Beef is a hearty side dish for your next cookout, potluck, or gathering. A side dish perfect for any occasion or holiday. There is nothing that goes better with a hamburger, slice of ham, hot dog, or chicken than a nice serving of my family’s favorite Baked Beans recipe.
No summertime cookout is complete without a serving of baked beans. In my family, we sometimes call this dish- cowboy baked beans, southern baked beans, or beans with hamburger. No matter the name, we all know the dish. These beans are super easy to make and come together fast. This recipe will feed a crowd. So, pull out your largest baking dish, and let’s get busy.
How to Make Simple Baked Beans with Ground Beef
This recipe is hearty, sweet, and full of ground beef. It comes together fast and is perfect for tailgating, cookouts, potlucks, or holiday celebrations. This dish is undoubtedly a year-round side dish.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pour baked beans into a 13×9 inch casserole dish.
Dice and saute onion and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon oil until soft. Add to beans.
Brown ground beef in a skillet until brown. Drain. Add to baked beans.
Stir well. Cover with foil and Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Ingredients Needed for Baked Beans
2 cans Baked Beans
onion
Green Bell Pepper
oil
ground beef
Tips and Variations to Make the Perfect Baked Beans
Feel free to swap out the ground beef for ground turkey.
You can easily cook the onion and bell pepper along with the ground beef to cut down on time. I’ve done this before when in a rush, and the result is always the same. Delicious!
Dice a jalapeno and add to the mix.
Swap out the Baked Beans and use Pork & Beans.
** If your casserole dish is full, place the dish on a sheet pan before baking. This will make easy clean up in case your beans bubble over.
Can I Make this Dish in Advance?
Yes, you can make this dish in advance. Just assemble the dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator a few minutes before you are ready to bake and bake according to the directions.
Why Is This Dish Sometimes Called Cowboy Beans?
As you have probably guessed- back in the days of cowboys- chuck wagon cooks along with cowboys on the trails cooked a lot of beans. In addition, beans were very cheap, light to pack and carry, and (dried beans) would last a long time. Thus, beans were an abundant food for traveling cowboys.
Today canned baked beans are used as convenience food. They are already cooked and easy to prepare. Just open a can and heat.
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Can I cook these baked beans in my slow cooker? You bet you can. Prepare the beans according to the directions: Cook the onions, peppers, and ground beef. Place everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. This is a great way to free up your oven.
What to Serve with Simple Baked Beans
There is sometimes a debate as to whether this is a meal or a side dish. I guess it could be both. In my house, we always serve this as a side dish. You decide for yourself and your family. Either way, they will be delicious!
This might sound a little odd– but serve this dish as an APPETIZER at a party or get-together. What? Yes, seriously! People go crazy over this dish when served with some corn chips, tortilla chips, or crackers. It’s hot, filling, and very satisfying. Try it.
Baked Beans go great with any grilled meat. So serve up a big bowl of baked beans at your next gathering and enjoy!
Baked Beans go great as a side dish to:
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
BBQ Ribs
Grilled Chicken Tenders
Pan Cooked Sticky Chicken
Southern Fried Salmon Patties
For more side dishes, check out the following:
Southern Fried Green Beans
Au Gratin Potatoes
Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries
Fried Yellow Squash
Mexican Corn Salad
Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 2 28 oz. cans Baked Beans
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 Bell Pepper, Green diced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground beef cooked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pour baked beans into a 13" x 9" inch baking dish.
- Dice and saute onion and bell pepper in oil until soft. Add to beans.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Drain and add to beans. Stir well to ensure everything is mixed well.
- Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
I really enjoy all your recipes. My family enjoys this recipe as well. I add a can of crushed pineapple to this recipe. This takes it to a whole new level. Thanks for sharing.
That looks great. I can think of many uses for this great recipe. Pinning for later!! Thanks!
This sounds like a perfect dish t go with so many summer dishes. Do you think if I left out the beef and added another pepper that it would work as well. I love the idea of the rich tomatoey flavour with a favourite burger.
Hey Julia, Yes, you could leave out the beef and add another pepper and it would still be great. Thanks for the comment.
It can work perfectly as a main meal, too, not just a side dish. It is a great protein combo, and beans are known to help cerebral function; in other words, they make people smarter!:)) Mom told me this long ago, and it stuck with me, just like spinach and Popeye!
I have never tried baked beans with beef, I am so excited to try this recipe very soon. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Perfect side for a BBQ!!
The ground beef really takes these baked beans to the next level!
I am always looking for a great baked beans recipe, how do you think this would taste if I omitted the meat?
The beans would still be great if you omitted the meat. Thanks for your comment.
Funny, I just bought tons of canned baked beans from the store this week; they’ll be perfect for this recipe. I will sauté the onions with the ground beef to save time and dishes 😉. Thank you so much for the tips!