These Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans are packed with bacon, ground beef, onions, green peppers, and 3 types of beans, all cooked slow and low in a deliciously sweet sauce. Perfect for your next potluck or summer BBQ – get ready for a flavor rodeo!
Ingredients
1poundbacondiced
1smallyellow or white oniondiced
1smallgreen bell pepperdiced
1poundlean ground beef
315-ounce cansnorthern beansdrained
315-ounce cansred kidney beansdrained
315-ounce canspork and beansNOT DRAINED
1cupbrown sugar
1cupketchup
3teaspoonswhite vinegar
2teaspoonsyellow mustard
Instructions
In a large skillet, cook the bacon, onion, and green pepper over medium-high heat. Cook until the bacon is crispy, then drain the grease off and add the mixture to your slow cooker.
Using the same skillet, brown the gound beef, using your spoon to break it up as it cooks. Drain grease (if necessary), and add to slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients to your slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Garnish with parsley if desired.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can spice this up by adding red chili flakes, chili powder or jalapenos while cooking.
You can substitute the kidney and northern beans for your favorite beans, just drain them.
Cans of beans come in a variety of sizes. Don't stress it if your cans aren't exactly 15 ounces each. The recipe is very forgiving and as long as you end up with around 40-45 ounces of each type of bean you are fine.
If using the 11-ounce size cans of pork and beans, use 4 cans. Don’t substitute the pork and beans.
You can easily halve this recipe.
Cut down or omit the sugar if you prefer less sweet beans.
To cook in oven: add cooked and drained bacon & beef along with all the other ingredients to a greased casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350℉ for 45 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.