The Best Baked Beans with Ground Beef
These baked beans with ground beef are a hearty, meaty side dish that is perfect for your next cookout! After just a few minutes of prep time they’re ready to go in the oven. The result is a flavorful side that your guests will love.
Table of Contents
There are few barbecue side dishes that are more classic than baked beans and this baked beans with ground beef recipe is the perfect twist!
After cooking the onions, garlic, and ground beef, all that’s left is to combine the remaining ingredients and transfer your dish to the oven.
In less than an hour you’ll have a hearty side dish that is just bursting with flavor! It would be amazing with mac and cheese and pulled pork.
This is the perfect side dish for serving with grilled steaks, burgers, hot dogs or anything else you throw on the grill at your family gatherings and summer cookouts.
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What goes into this recipe
- Ground beef: I used 93% lean hamburger meat in this easy recipe so there isn’t a lot of excess grease to drain off.
- Onion: Diced yellow onion is perfect for the baked beans with ground beef.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is always best, but you can use the kind in the jar if you prefer. You can also use garlic powder if that’s what you have on hand.
- Pork and beans: 3 cans of beans with pork will make this side dish even meatier.
- Ketchup: This will form the base for the BBQ sauce in this classic side dish.
- Brown sugar: Gives the beans a hint of sweetness.
- Apple cider vinegar: This balances the sweetness of the ketchup and the brown sugar for the perfect flavor.
- Yellow mustard: A hint of mustard adds a tang to the BBQ sauce.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
One thing I love about this easy southern baked beans recipe is how easy it is to customize. You may want to add more vegetables like green bell pepper, or add a different type of beans like navy beans.
You can also season the barbecue sauce however you like. Sometimes I like to add worcestershire sauce for a bit of umami flavor, or black pepper and hot sauce for a hint of spice.
You can even add crispy bacon to the top of the baked beans just before it comes out of the oven for even more protein.
How to make Baked Beans with ground beef
- Begin by sauteing the chopped onion in a little olive oil until the onions are soft and starting to turn a light brown. Add ground beef and garlic to the pan with the onions and cook until it is no longer pink. Be sure to drain any grease.
- While that is cooking, put the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl and whisk the ingredients together.
- This recipe uses three cans of pork and beans. Add them to the pot. You want the juice and beans, so just open them and pour them right in. Also add the ketchup mixture to the pot and give it a good stir to combine. Your beans will be a little thin but will thicken as they bake. I like to bake them without the lid but you could always add the lid if you wanted to. Place into a 350 degree oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges of the mixture are bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and serve. You will notice that the mixture thickens up nicely and gets a deeper shade of red. The liquid evaporates a little bit also.
Expert Tips
- Use lean ground beef. Doing so will produce a small amount of grease that is super easy to drain.
- You will want to use a heavy bottom pan or dutch oven that is oven proof. This baked beans recipe starts on the stove but finishes in the oven.
- Add the ground beef and garlic at the same time. That way the garlic doesn’t burn.
Storage and Freezing
Store: Once completely cooled to room temperature, leftover baked beans can be stored in an airtight container or covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: The best baked beans with ground beef can also be frozen in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Almost any kind of beans can be used for baked beans. But when you are making a quick recipe it is important that you use canned beans so that you aren’t having to soak beans overnight.
It is also nice to use a can of beans that has some kind of flavorful juice that adds flavor. It also allows you to add the can without draining the beans.
Sure! I made this great recipe in the Dutch oven so I only needed to use one pot, but you could cook the onions, ground beef, and garlic in a large skillet and then transfer them to a casserole dish before adding the other ingredients.
Yes! Cook the onion, ground beef and garlic in a skillet and add that mixture together with the beans and ketchup mixture. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Be sure to use a crock pot liner.
Do you need more side dish ideas? Try these recipes…
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The Best Baked Beans with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion {chopped}
- 2 cloves garlic {minced}
- ½ pound lean ground beef {I used 93% lean}
- 3 cans pork and beans {16 ounces each}
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar {packed}
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a heavy bottom pan {that is oven safe} or Dutch oven, over medium heat add olive oil and cook onion until it is translucent {or soft}. Add ground beef and garlic, continue to cook over medium heat until browned.
- While the ground beef is browning, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and mustard, whisk to combine. Add mixture and pork and beans to the onion/ground beef and stir to combine.
- Place the Dutch oven in the preheated oven, uncovered for 45-50 minutes. Remove and serve warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
