Calico Beans is my go-to dish for potlucks and parties. And it all starts with a pound of bacon.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Bacon
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 C Ketchup
• 1 C Brown Sugar
• 1 Can Red Kidney Beans
• 1 Can Cannellini Beans
• 1 Can Pork and Beans
• 1 Can of Baked Beans
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Cut up a pound of bacon and cook until crispy.
• Drain the bacon on a paper towel and remove all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan.
• Cook a pound of lean ground beef in the pan with the bacon grease.
• Be sure to scrape up all of the brown bits.
• If you use ground chuck (or the like) you may need to drain the beef at this point.
• When the beef is almost finished cooking, add a chopped onion and a little salt and pepper.
• Once the beef is good and brown, add the ketchup and brown sugar.
• Mix well.
• Rinse the Red Kidney Beans and Cannellini Beans in a colander to to remove that metal can taste.
• In a big bowl, mix together the ground beef and all of the beans.
• Gently stir on the bacon.
• Pour the beans into a casserole dish and bake for one hour at 350F. It doesn’t always take a full hour so keep an eye on it.

Photos and step-by-step instructions can be found HERE.

bon appetit