Looking for an amazing picnic recipe? Look no further, once you taste this recipe for Baked Calico Beans, loaded with 3 kinds of beans, beef, and bacon, you’ll know why everyone called them the BEST baked beans!
I know, I know … calling a dish “the best” is a tough act to follow. But I am telling you, my mom’s Calico Beans are quite possibly the BEST baked beans I have ever had!
Beans, bacon and ground beef in a savory sauce, baked until the top is caramelized and a little crispy…did I mention there is bacon?! Move over brats, burgers, and dogs; this hearty summer side dish is the next BBQ star!
Why I love this recipe
- the thick, rick sticky sauce
- both bacon and beef
- only 15 minutes of active prep work
- perfect for picnics and potlucks
Speaking of beans, there are 3 kinds in this dish: big yellow butter beans, dark red kidney beans and a few cans of good ol’ pork and beans. Along with tender onions, ground beef, and crispy bacon, it bakes to bubbly perfection while you man the grill!
Ingredients
- ground beef
- bacon
- onions
- salt
- brown sugar
- dry mustard
- white vinegar
- pork and beans
- kidney & butter beans
Step by step
You will need to do a little prep work – sautéing onions, crisping bacon and browning ground beef. But, once that is done, you simply stir all of the ingredients together and pop your baking dish in the oven.
Have patience while you wait for this yummy dish to bake to perfection, because once it’s done it is sooooo worth it!
I like to bake mine a little “well done” so the tops and edges of the bacon get crispy. If you prefer yours a little soupier, just reduce the baking time a bit.
If you need to feed a crowd, just double the recipe and sit back and watch your guests devour them at the picnic or potluck! Blue ribbon, here we come!
More Summer Recipes!
- BBQ Onions
- Grilled Sweet Corn & Garlic Parmesan Butter
- Barbecue Bacon Dogs
- BBQ RanchGrilled Wedge Salad
If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Calico Beans {or the BEST Baked Beans}
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: side
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Looking for an amazing Baked Beans recipe? Look no further, once you taste this recipe for Calico Beans, loaded with 3 kinds of beans, beef and bacon, you’ll know why everyone called them the BEST baked beans!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 – 15 oz. cans pork and beans (undrained)
- 1 – 15 oz. can kidney beans (undrained)
- 1 – 15 oz. can butter beans (undrained)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325*.
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef and bacon.
- Once meats are cooked, add onions and saute until tender.
- In a large bowl, stir together cooked meats and onions and remaining ingredients.
- Pour into a 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until top is a little caramelized.
Keywords: calico beans, baked beans with bacon
This Calico Beans recipe was originally published in June 2015 and updated with new photos, video, and additional information in August 2019.
JaneEllen says
My Mom used to make delicious baked beans using only the butter (or lima) beans. No other meat or beans but all of other ingredients. It was always her go to recipe for pot luck. She was always a great cook and baker, guess I must have missed that gene along the way. She was one of 7 kids and all her sisters (4) were great cooks also.
Have never been great cook but ok. For years now hubs has done most of cooking. I’m just not that interested, never have been. My poor kids growing up, guess I did ok then. My boys complained they never got enuf to eat. They never told me that until years later. Trying to feed 4 kids and usually an extra kid at meals wasn’t easy, no Sam’s club or places like that in those days.
I had to print this out and will make these, (well most likely hubs will) sound so darned good. Just have a salad and you got dinner, my kind of food.
How is everything in Florida? Did you guys have wet Spring? We sure did, oldest boy (52)came up from San Diego just before end of April to put badly needed metal roof on our single wide. He used to put roofs on for one of his first jobs. Our youngest son (51) came over to help. Hubs not able to help as he was scheduled for partial knee replacement just days after roof installation. I hadn’t seen youngest son or talked to him for over 3 yrs. and he lives in Grand Junction, we have less than pleasant dil. Told him hoped it wouldn’t be another over 3 yrs. as I’m getting old, will be 75 in July, lol. They live in fancy 1/2 million $ house in ritzy part of G.J.
Hope all is very well at your house, great recipe, glad you shared. Happy week
Judith says
This sounds like such a great slow cooker meal. With the heat I would not
turn my oven on for an 1 1/2 hrs. but it sounds yummy.
Cynthia Atwood says
What size cans do you use ?? Looks yummy ! Thank you !
Keri says
Hi Cynthia – Sorry about that! They are 15 oz. cans. I updated the recipe with that information and I’m so glad you stopped by!
Tracy says
I just want to be clear…you do not drain the kidney or butter beans? You use the liquid that they are in?
Keri says
Right – use the beans and the liquid in the cans 🙂
Cynthia Atwood says
Thank you so much for answering.
‘Looking forward to making them !
Steve says
OMG! I have to make these! There were pool parties I went to as a kid where these were brought to and my mom never got the recipe! Only extra thing in yours is the ground beef! I am so excited to try these out this weekend!!
Anita says
We decided to make your recipe for a family get together. The beans were a success, wow, amazingly yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Stephanie says
A great picnic favorite. I have been making an almost identical recipe for years – never added the butter beans. They are a tasty addition. I also add sliced hot dogs. Thanks for sharing all your recipes. Fantastic website.
Stephanie says
How do these beans freeze? Would it be better to do it before I bake them or after? Or not at all? Thanks!
Jami says
I made these last night and they’re delicious!
Linda says
Great recipe! Nothing like the family passed down, perfect recipes. The days when you did not have to live up there to the “ratings” but just the triend and true. And sometimes, the homecooker might just put a spin on it ( missed an ingredient) and it is still exactly what perfect. Thank you.
Cathy says
About how many servings would you say this makes?
Keri says
Hi Cathy – this recipe makes a full 9×13 pan of baked beans, so I would say at least 20 servings. Thanks!
Adrienne says
Saw another recipe for this, which said to drain the beans. I did, and now am wondering what liquid I can use to make them less dry. Should I put in more untrained beans? Thank you.
Keri says
Hi Adrienne – you could try some chicken stock or water to add a little liquid to the Calico Beans. Hope this helps!
Keri
Sharon says
Can these bean be done in a crockpot?
Keri says
Hi Sharon! As long as the ground beef and bacon are cooked before you put everything in the crock pot, I think these Calico Beans would be just as delicious! I would keep the temperature on low so the sugars don’t burn. Let me know if you try it!
Jeanette Armstrong says
i make these same beans except I use Chorizo sausage instead of ground beef and I place the beans in my Traeger smoker at 225 degrees for 3 hours using hickory pellets! Best beans ever! Family gatherings always request I make these along with our church potlucks.
★★★★★
Janet says
love these
★★★★★
Angela Spicer says
My husband grew up in central Pennsylvania and his mother used to make these, but she never wrote the recipe down. Ever since she passed, I’ve been trying to recreate her calico beans. Never quite right until I tried your recipe! Thank you so much! My husband thinks it tastes just like home!
★★★★★
Grace B. says
What type of vinegar?