Who doesn’t love the convenience of a one pot meal and who doesn’t love a frugal and delicious pot of beans…especially when they are cowboy beans?

Let me tell you folks…if it’s anything cowboy, count me in!! LOL!!

That being said, my family absolutely LOVES these beans and I’m so excited to share my latest batch of deliciousness!

Of course you can add or omit anything that you and your family likes or dislikes. I’m just going to give you the basics and then you can let your creative culinary flag fly!

Here’s the Basic Ingredients…

• 1/2 Pound to 1 Pound Ground Bacon Burger (or combination of ground beef and chopped bacon)
• 6 Cups Prepared Beans (combination of varieties-canned or leftover/frozen-pork and beans, white beans, kidney beans, chili beans, baked beans, pinto beans)
• 1 Large Onion-roughly chopped
• 1 Large Green Pepper-roughly chopped

(Note: I didn’t have a green pepper to use in this particular batch. But they’re delicious either way)

Add the following items to taste…

• 4-6 TBsp. Barbeque Sauce
• 2 TBsp. Ketchup
• 1 tsp. Yellow Mustard
• 4 TBsp. Brown Sugar
• 1-2 TBsp. Molasses
• 1-2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1-2 tsp. Hot Sauce
• 1-2 tsp. Minced Garlic
• 1 TBsp. Ground Cumin – Very important, don’t skip this ingredient
• 1 TBsp. Butter – optional to add smoother flavor and richness

How To Make A Frugal and Delicious One Pot Meal of Cowboy Beans…

Add the ground bacon burger or combination of ground beef and chopped bacon to a dutch oven. A cast iron dutch oven or deep frying pan is great when making these for that authentic flavor and appearance. But you’re welcome to use any large pot or dutch oven that is your favorite.

Brown the bacon burger.

A rustic chop of onions adds the right appeal to this dish

Roughly chop the onion. different size pieces are ok, because some will cook down and others will add delicious texture. We’re not looking for perfect here…think rustic!

If there’s a lot of grease in the pan, you can drain it. But do save some of the grease for additional flavor and moisture (kind of like using bacon grease to cook things in).

Gather a collection of assorted beans (not green beans). I tend to save bits of leftover beans and add them to containers in my freezer until I get a good amount. Then I pull them out, let them thaw and get ready to make a delicious batch of cowboy beans and make my family happy. I usually buy a can of white beans and add them to the mixture of other beans for additional texture.

Here’s a link to the great northern white beans that I love to use in cowboy beans. But honestly, numerous varieties of Bush’s beans are ideal to use in this dish.

https://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/product/great-northern-beans

Be sure to rinse and drain any canned beans before using.

Add all beans into the dutch oven with the browned bacon burger and onions. On medium to low heat heat, continue to heat through.

Adding the best flavors to cowboy beans…

Flavor ingredients for the cowboy beans…these are my favorites to use. Amounts vary by quantity of beans being used and what flavors they may already have in them and what flavors you like best. I can only tell you, that I never omit the ground cumin…it’s an absolute must to use and is the perfect flavor enhancer when making cowboy beans.

I always use all of the ingredients below. Plus I usually finish the pot of beans with a tablespoon or two of butter. It adds a smoothness and rich flavor. I also use molasses (not shown) for an extra depth of flavor, color and richer sweetness.

Add all the flavor ingredients to your taste.

Continue stirring and simmering the beans until tender and mixture thickens. IF it gets too thick, you can add beef stock or water.

The final product…

And that’s it! Once the beans are heated through, tender and thickened, they may be served.

We usually have them with a piece of bread and butter (or cornbread) along with some coleslaw.

And that’s all it takes to make a frugal and delicious one pot meal of cowboy beans! Simple, easy and totally comforting in a stick to your ribs sort of way. I highly recommend this meal!

In conclusion…

So folks, save all your leftover beans. Freeze them until you have enough to make a batch of cowboy beans and your next meal could be this frugal and delicious!

Take care, be safe, virtual hugs,

Chauncey

If you’re looking for another frugal and delicious one pot meal…this batch of Mexican Rice that is made in the microwave is sure to please…