The rich flavors of baked hamburger beans are in a hearty dish that brings together the smoky goodness of bacon, ground beef, and the sweet tang of BBQ sauce.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Tradition: Here in the midwest we love a good baked bean recipe as a classic side dish. Whether it’s my mom’s recipe for old fashioned baked beans, or her cowboy baked beans, we love them anyway you cook them up, especially when it comes to summer cookouts and potlucks!
We also happen to raise a few beef cows, so naturally baked beans and ground beef are a match made in foodie heaven.
Easy to make: This version simply has cooked ground beef, bacon (because BACON), and canned baked beans. It’s an easy to make, potluck staple our family has loved for generations.
Filling: When we’ve been working long hours, it’s nice to have some stick to your ribs food at the end of the day. Hamburger baked beans are loaded with protein and fiber and fit the bill perfectly.
They also make an amazing side dish to pulled pork sandwiches and is a great addition if you're trying to decide what to serve with pasta salad.
And hey, if you’re looking for a baked bean recipe using dried beans, check out my girl Kelsey’s recipe.
Jump to:
🛒 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to grab from the grocery store.
- Cooked bacon - You can make bacon in the oven, bacon in the air fryer or even cook bacon the microwave. I like to cook portions of bacon ahead of time and freeze it for later. Heck, these days you can buy cooked bacon but with the grocery prices lately, I'd advise making your own.
- Ground beef - I don’t know about you, but ground beef is a staple here and we’re always looking for ways to use ground beef! Lean ground beef is best but if yours has a little higher fat content, it'll work just fine if you drain the fat well after cooking.
- Baked beans - Yes, I’m using the canned type. We are keeping things easy and there are lots of varieties of baked beans. You can pick up pork and beans (which has more bacon), smoked baked beans, or whatever floats your boat.
- BBQ sauce - Whatever kind of BBQ sauce you have on hand great. We have been loving some of the sugar-free varieties of barbecue sauce lately!
- Ketchup - Ketchup gives a little tang to balance out the sweetness of the barbecue sauce.
- Light brown sugar - This adds some sweetness.
- Worcestershire sauce - You know when you take a bite of something and it just has this savory, rich flavor that you can't quite put your finger on? That's called umami, and even though I can’t pronounce the stuff, Worcestershire sauce does just that.
- Spices - I like to use garlic powder and onion powder.
See recipe card for quantities.
📋 Substitutions
Tomato Sauce: Instead of using ketchup, you can use tomato sauce for a lower sugar option.
Ground beef: If you don't have hamburger meat, you can use ground turkey, chicken or ground pork
If you're a bean lover, see this Mexican black bean recipe, too!
🥣 How to make baked beans with hamburger
Let's get cooking! Here's how I make these hamburger baked beans.
- Step 1: Place a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ground beef.
Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks, ensuring it browns evenly.
Cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink, typically around 5-7 minutes. Drain if needed.
- Step 2: Next, everyone else goes into the pool!
Stir everything together until the ingredients are well incorporated and the sauce starts to bubble slightly.
- Step 3: Reduce the heat and simmer gently to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve and enjoy with your choice of toppings (or simply as is!).
freezer meal tip
Hamburger baked beans can also be made ahead of time and frozen for later. This is perfect if you're stocking up on your freezer meal stash for planting or harvest!
📖 Variations
- Vegetables: Add in extra vegetables like bell peppers, onions, or mushrooms to bulk up the dish and add more flavor and nutrients.
- Spices: Adjust the spices according to what you have on hand or your taste preferences. You can add a little chili powder for extra heat or use different herbs and spices like smoked paprika, cumin, or oregano to customize the flavor.
- Make it Tex-Mex: Stir in a can of diced green chilies or a chopped jalapeño pepper for a spicy kick.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Garnish with your favorite toppings if desired.
Crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, or a sprinkle of chopped green onions are all excellent choices.
Serve alongside some crusty bread, buttermilk cornbread muffins or or a side salad for a complete meal that's sure to satisfy even the heartiest appetites.
farm girl tip
Make this in the Instant Pot with the slow cooker function. You'll brown the ground beef on the saute function, then switch over to the slow cooker option. Cook for several hours.
Storage
Leftovers will keep, refrigerated in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
To freeze, transfer the cooled beans to a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Related
Looking for other side dish recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with hamburger baked beans:
Hamburger Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 15 ounce cans baked beans with pork (or without)
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ cup cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the ground beef. Use a spatula or spoon to break up the meat as it cooks, ensuring it browns evenly. Cook the ground beef until it's no longer pink, which usually takes about 5-7 minutes.If needed drain any excess fat and return the cooked ground beef to the pot.1 pound lean ground beef
- Add the baked beans to the pot. Gently stir to combine.3 15 ounce cans baked beans with pork (or without)
- Next, add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cooked bacon.Mix together until everything is well incorporated.½ cup BBQ sauce, ½ cup ketchup, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Bring the beans to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking.
- Add cooked bacon just before serving, to insure it stays nice and crispy, because soggy bacon is sad. Enjoy!¼ cup cooked bacon
Notes
Serving Ideas:
- Garnish with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese or a sprinkle of chopped green onions.
- Serve alongside some crusty bread, buttermilk corn muffins or a side salad for a complete meal.
Storage Options:
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep, refrigerated in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: To freeze, transfer the cooled beans to a freezer-safe container or resealable plastic bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Mcdonald's Menu
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Sue
This dish was a big hit at our cookout, it makes a big batch, but I didn't have any leftovers.
Deanne Frieders
So glad you liked it!