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If you’re looking for a delicious, hearty side dish that the whole family will love, cowboy beans are the answer! A variety of beans are simmered together with applewood smoked bacon, garlic, chopped onions, and ground beef, all in a tangy barbecue sauce!
Cowboy beans are so flavorful and hearty. They’re perfect for potlucks and barbecues once summer rolls around! A few more similar recipes to try are these tried and true baked beans, bean stew, and my insanely good crockpot chili!
Cowboy Beans Recipe
If you haven’t tried cowboy beans before, you’re in for a treat. This hearty side is like an elevated version of baked beans. It’s made with both kidney and cannellini beans for the perfect texture, and then loaded with applewood bacon, diced onion, garlic, ground beef, and pork. Combined with the thick, flavorful sauce, these cowboy beans are a knockout side. Your friends and family will go crazy over them!
I need to just take a minute to talk about this sauce, though. It is to die for! I used Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce as a base, but then jazzed it up with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar for the perfect tangy flavor. You’re going to want to lick your bowl clean. Try these cowboy beans out for your next family get-together! I promise they won’t disappoint.
What Are Cowboy Beans Made Of?
The combination of all of these ingredients is divine. What really makes cowboy beans stand out is the savory, tangy flavor that it has, plus it’s filled with ground beef and bacon. You can’t go wrong with bacon! See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Bacon: I used thick-cut applewood bacon. It just has the best flavor! It’s perfect for adding to a hearty side dish like cowboy beans.
- Diced Onion: I used a yellow onion here. Yellow onions are sharp but mild, perfect for adding to savory side dishes.
- Minced Garlic: Use fresh garlic if you can! It will give your cowboy beans the best flavor.
- Ground Beef: I used lean ground beef. You can also swap this out for ground pork or even ground turkey if you want a leaner version of this dish.
- Seasonings: I used a mix of chili powder and salt and pepper to add a little heat and boost the flavor of the beans.
- Canned Pork and Beans: We usually have a lot of these in the pantry. This cowboy beans recipe is great for using them up!
- Beans: For the best texture, I use both canned cannellini beans and kidney beans here.
- Barbecue Sauce: I used Sweet Baby Ray’s. You can also make some from scratch to customize the flavor! Find my full recipe here.
- Additional Sauces: What really makes these cowboy beans delicious (in my opinion) is the flavorful sauce! It’s the perfect blend of savory and tangy. In addition to barbecue sauce, I added ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
Let’s Get Cooking!
I love cowboy beans because it’s such an easy side to make. Once you’ve cooked up your bacon, all you have to do is combine all of your ingredients and throw them in the oven for 45 minutes! Because it’s so hands-off, you can take that time to make some tasty homemade cornbread to complete the meal!
- Preheat Oven, Cook Bacon: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Cook Diced Onion: Leave some bacon grease in the bottom and add the onion. Cook until almost tender.
- Cook Ground Beef: Add in the garlic and ground beef. Cook and crumble ground beef until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add in cooked bacon, chili powder, salt, pepper, pork and beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, and stir just until incorporated.
- Bake and Serve: Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Can I Make Cowboy Beans in the Slow Cooker?
Yes! It’s so easy! You’re going to love having these cowboy baked beans to come home to. Simply cook your bacon, ground beef, and diced onion, then add to a crock pot with the other ingredients and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5.
More Mix-Ins
Cowboy beans are the perfect side dish for any season. They’re warm, hearty and comforting in the winter, but also great for summer cookouts! Here are a few extra flavor additions to customize your beans with.
- Add in Beans: The more kinds of beans, the merrier! Feel free to add in white beans, black beans, pinto beans, or garbanzo beans. They add such a great texture!
- Make it Sweeter: Cowboy beans are absolutely delicious with a little sweetness. Feel free to add in brown sugar, honey, or molasses to taste!
- Add Smoky Flavor: If you want your cowboy beans to have smoky flavor, try adding in a tablespoon of liquid smoke!
Storing Leftover Cowboy Beans
Cowboy beans are great for leftovers. They make the perfect quick and easy lunch to heat up in the microwave!
- In the Refrigerator: Store cowboy beans in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- In the Freezer: Store in an airtight freezer bag for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Delicious Recipes
Beans are so versatile and make every dish so hearty. Not only do they taste good, but they’re also packed with fiber! If you loved these cowboy beans, I know you’ll love these other recipes just as much! They’re super easy to make and will have the whole family wanting more.
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Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon I used thick but applewood bacon, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 15 ounce can Pork and beans (not drained)
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained
- 1 cup barbecue sauce I used Sweet Baby Rays
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Leave some bacon grease in the bottom and add the onion. Cook until almost tender.
- Add in the garlic and ground beef and cook and crumble ground beef until no longer pink. Drain excess grease.
- Add in cooked bacon, chili powder, salt, pepper, pork and beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, and stir just until incorporated.
- Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were a big hit at a neighborhood get together. Loved them sooo much I made another batch the next morning and added leftover meat we had from the BBQ. No ground beef but added sliced pork chops sliced tri-tip sliced hot dogs & whatever else I could find that would go good with the beans.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe….. sooo easy & versatile.
Hi Gloria, that sounds amazing with all those different meats! Thank you for sharing and for coming back to leave a comment and review!
I’ve made this several times and it is FANTASTIC!! Can be used as a main or side dish. Thanks for the recipe…it is a keeper for sure!
Can this be cooked in the croc pot??
Hi Kathleen, thank you for your question. Yes here is how I would use the crockpot;
-Cook the bacon on the stove until crispy. Remove from the pan and place in the crockpot. Drain the bacon grease.
-Sauté the onion and ground beef in the same pan. Add the cooked onion and beef to the crockpot with the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, cans of pork and beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
-Stir everything together and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 1-2 hours, until everything is heated through. Keep warm in the crockpot.
Let me know how it turns out!
Can I simmer stovetop, covered, in the Dutch oven instead of the oven?
Hi Rita, thank you for your question. Yes, they can be simmered on the stovetop in a Dutch oven over low heat. I recommend stirring them every 10 minutes or so to avoid anything burning. Let me know how they turn out!
Can you freeze this
Hi Melba, thank you for the question! Yes, you can freeze this. Store it in an airtight or freezer bag for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. I hope this helps!
How many servings does this recipe make??
Hi Heidi, this makes 8 servings. Thanks for the question!