These cowboy baked beans take plain baked beans and turn them into a hearty, crowd-friendly side dish, with ground beef, plenty of bacon, black beans, green chiles, and a smoky & sweet sauce.
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Why You'll Love Cowboy Baked Beans
We're adding to our collection of cowboy recipes today! I've got Cowboy Casserole, Cowboy Stew, and now this easy side dish that will be a total hit with just about any meal.
My Cowboy Baked Beans give plain old canned baked beans a serious upgrade. We're adding 2 different kinds of meat, some onion & pepper action, and flavor upgrades that make this anything but a boring side dish.
Bake Time: 45-50 minutes
Serves: 10-12
Spice Level: Mild
It's sweet, smoky, hearty, and just plain yummy - you'll get tons of compliments on this one. Hope you love it!
What Are Cowboy Baked Beans?
Cowboy baked beans are basically loaded baked beans. They start with a plain old canned baked bean base, then get bulked up with hearty add-ins like ground beef, bacon, extra beans, peppers, and seasonings.
There are lots of versions out there, but this one uses black beans, red bell pepper, onion, green chiles, and a sweet/smoky sauce made with ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and apple cider vinegar. You'll get a richer, more filling side dish that's so perfect for cookouts and potlucks.
Ingredient Notes
(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full list and exact ingredient measurements.)
- Baked beans: Leave these undrained! That sauce becomes part of the base for the whole casserole.
- Black beans: Unlike the baked beans, these do need to be drained so they don't add unnecessary liquid.
- Ground beef: I like ground beef here because it gives the beans that hearty, savory flavor you expect from cowboy beans.
- Bacon: Cook and crumble it before mixing everything together. Bacon brings saltiness and smoky flavor to every bite.
- Onion and red bell pepper: Cooking these with the beef softens them and adds another layer of flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic only needs about a minute in the hot skillet.
- Smoked paprika: This is an easy way to add smoky flavor even though the beans are baked indoors.
- Chili powder: Adds some savory chile flavor without necessarily making the beans spicy.
- Green chiles: Leave these undrained. They're a simple way to add another little layer of chile flavor.
- Ketchup: Gives the sauce tomato flavor, sweetness, and body.
- Mustard: Its tanginess helps balance the sweeter ingredients.
- Brown sugar: This gives us that sweet baked-bean flavor without being the only thing you taste.
- Worcestershire sauce: Just a couple tablespoons add a lot of depth.
- Apple cider vinegar: That little bit of acidity is important! It keeps the rich, sweet sauce balanced.
Additions & Substitutions
- Swap the ground beef for sausage: Mild pork breakfast sausage will work in place of the beef if you'd like a more seasoned version. I'd skip maple-flavored sausage - there's already plenty of sweetness in the sauce.
- Use half beef and half sausage: This is a good compromise if you want that sausage flavor without completely changing the classic beef-and-bacon combo.
- Make them spicier: Add diced jalapeño, cayenne pepper, or a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Change up the beans: Pinto or kidney beans can stand in for the black beans. Just be sure to drain them first.
- Use green bell pepper: Red bell pepper is a little sweeter, while green pepper gives the beans a more savory flavor.
- Adjust the sweetness: If you're starting with an especially sweet brand of baked beans, you can reduce the brown sugar to suit your taste.
- Add a little extra smoke: Smoked bacon or a small amount of chipotle can push the smoky flavor up a notch.
How to Make Cowboy Baked Beans
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If your bacon isn't already cooked, cook it until done, then crumble it and set it aside.
- Brown the beef and veggies. Cook the ground beef in a large oven-safe Dutch oven or skillet and drain the excess grease. Add the diced onion and red bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the smoked paprika and chili powder.
- Add the beans and sauce. Stir in the undrained baked beans, drained black beans, cooked bacon, undrained green chiles, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir gently until combined, careful not to mash the beans.
- Bake. If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a 9x13" baking dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until hot and slightly thickened.
Alternate Method: Crock Pot
These are great when cooked in the slow cooker! Brown the ground beef and cook the onion, bell pepper, and garlic first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker. A good starting point is low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours.
Just know that slow cooker beans tend to stay a little saucier because there's less evaporation.
What to Serve with Cowboy Baked Beans
This is exactly the kind of side dish I want sitting next to a big plate of cookout food! Serve these beans with burgers, hot dogs, barbecue chicken, onion meatloaf, ribs, smoked meat, or pulled bbq chicken. They're hearty enough to stand up to just about anything coming off the grill.
For the rest of the sides, you can't go wrong with cornbread, coleslaw, potato salad, corn casserole, macaroni and cheese, or a simple green salad.
And because there's already beef and bacon in the pan, don't be surprised if somebody decides these are hearty enough to count as most of their meal!
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
How to Make Them Ahead
One of my favorite things about a big casserole-style side dish is getting the messy part out of the way before everybody shows up. You can cook the bacon and beef mixture ahead of time and refrigerate them until you're ready to assemble the beans.
You can also assemble the whole casserole ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Since it will be going into the oven cold, plan on a little extra baking time and cook until the beans are hot throughout and the sauce has thickened.
How to Store Leftovers
Transfer leftovers to covered containers and refrigerate them within two hours. Use up refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.
If you've got a lot left, I'd recommend dividing the beans between a few smaller containers instead of putting one giant hot container in the fridge. That helps the food cool quicker.
How to Reheat Cowboy Baked Beans
For individual servings, the microwave is the best bet. A larger amount can be covered and warmed in the oven or heated gently on the stovetop.
Cowboy Baked Beans for a Crowd
This recipe is so perfect for a crowd. You're starting with 75 ounces of beans, plus a full pound of ground beef and another pound of bacon. That's a serious pan of baked beans!
I estimate that this recipe makes about 10-12 side-dish servings. The exact number will depend on what else is being served and how big everyone's spoonfuls are, so this can vary by a couple of servings either way.
For a really big party, I'd make two pans rather than cramming a double batch into one extra-deep casserole dish. Two pans will heat more evenly and they're a whole lot easier to carry and serve.
Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Drain your ground beef well. There's already tons of richness coming from the bacon, so leaving a bunch of beef grease behind can make the finished beans oily.
- Pay attention to which beans get drained. Keep the sauce from the baked beans, but drain the black beans. This is important for the flavor of your dish.
- Don't skip sautéing the vegetables. The onion and bell pepper taste better and have a softer texture when they're cooked before baking.
- Use smoked paprika rather than regular paprika if you can. That little bit of smoky flavor fits perfectly with bacon and beef.
- Taste before making them sweeter. Different brands of canned baked beans vary a lot in sweetness, so I wouldn't automatically add more sugar.
- Let them rest before serving. Even five or ten minutes gives the sauce a little time to settle and thicken.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
More Great Side Dishes
I hope this recipe comes in handy at your next big party! If you give it a try, let us know what you think in the comments. And don't forget to add LL Eats as a preferred source on Google to see more of my content in search!
Cowboy Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon (cooked & crumbled)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 45 oz canned baked beans (undrained)
- 15 oz black beans (drained)
- 4 oz canned diced green chiles (undrained)
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup mustard
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If the bacon isn't already cooked, cook it until done, then crumble it and set it aside.
- Cook the ground beef in a large oven-safe Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Drain the excess grease.
- Add the diced onion and red bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the smoked paprika and chili powder.
- Stir in the undrained baked beans, drained black beans, cooked bacon, undrained green chiles, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir gently until combined, being careful not to mash the beans.
- If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes, until hot and slightly thickened.
- Let the beans rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Drain the excess grease from the ground beef before adding the remaining ingredients.
- For a spicier version, add diced jalapeño, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.
- Mild breakfast sausage can be substituted for the ground beef.
- Pinto or kidney beans can be used in place of black beans.
- If the beans are too runny, uncover and bake a little longer, then let them rest before serving.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3-4 days.
Nutrition Facts
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 17 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
