Crock Pot Calico Beans – An Old Fashioned Cowboy Beans Recipe
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These Crock Pot Calico Beans are easy to make and full of flavor. With bacon, ground beef and four kinds of beans, it is a hearty side dish that easily could pass as a main dish served with a side of cornbread or biscuits.
Need a new recipe for a pitch-in or party? This Cowboy Calico Beans recipe is perfect for a crowd and since they are made in the crock pot, you can put them together early and not worry.
Crock Pot Calico Bean Recipe
Crock Pot Calico Beans are a staple in our family. The recipe Barbara always uses comes from a local cookbook from the Shelby County (Indiana) Extension Homemakers Council in 1980.
What are calico beans?
Cowboy calico beans is a baked bean dish made from three different type of canned beans giving the dish a beautiful calico appearance – just like a three colored calico cat.
Kids and adults alike love the taste of these cowboy calico beans. What’s so great about cowboy beans?
The sweet and tangy sauce is made from ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar – very reminiscent of a sloppy joe sauce. And the addition of bacon and ground beef takes these baked beans over the top.
These are always a hit at pitch-ins, bbqs or potluck meals and are a great alternative to regular baked beans. Barbara often has requests for her slow cooker calico beans when she is asked to bring a dish to a meal or party. Fixing them in the slow cooker also means you can put it all together in the morning and they are ready by lunch!
Calico Baked Beans in the Crock Pot go great served along side a Beef Brisket, Old Fashioned Pea Salad and Cheesy Cabbage Casserole.
Recipe FAQs
- Be sure to drain off any excess grease while browning the ground beef and bacon.
- You could swap in and out your favorite beans or whatever you have on hand for this crockpot calico baked bean recipe. We often use white cannellini or Great Northern beans for butter beans.
- For Grandma’s calico bean recipe, drain the juices off the beans except for the pork and beans.
- Barbara suggests using smoked, sliced jowl (hers always comes from Rihm Foods) instead of regular bacon for an extra layer of flavor – but regular bacon works just fine!
- Looking for some more ground beef recipes? Try Mom’s Hamburger Gravy and our Hamburger Vegetable Soup with V8 juice.
- Check out our Amazon Store for our pantry essentials and favorite kitchen gear.
Are calico beans a side or a main dish?
The answer is both!
Honestly, I think they can be the main dish of a meal since they have both ground beef AND bacon along with FOUR different kinds of beans! Be sure to drain the beans (except for the Pork and Beans) before adding them to the dish! You could serve them with some biscuits or Maryann’s Sweet Cornbread!
But, these are probably most often served as a side dish.
This crock pot version is a calico bean recipe for a crowd. It makes a huge crock pot full, enough for friends and family.
How to Make Grandma’s Calico Beans Recipe:
Step By Step Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown bacon, ground beef and onions over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add pork and beans, drained pinto beans, lima beans and white beans, ketchup, mustard, salt, brown sugar and vinegar to the meat mixture; pour into the crock pot insert.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or until hot.
For the full recipe and ingredient amounts for slow cooker calico beans, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients in Old Fashioned Cowboy Beans Recipe
- Bacon
- Lean Ground Beef
- Onion
- Brown Sugar
- Ketchup
- White Vinegar
- Mustard
- Salt
- Pork and Beans
- Butter Beans (or any other white bean)
- Kidney Beans
- Lima Beans
What do you serve with calico beans?
Cowboy calico beans are the perfect side dish. Here’s ten perfect entrees to serve along side calico baked beans.
- Stovetop Chicken
- 4 Ingredient Baked Chicken Legs
- Marinated Beef Steak
- Oven Pulled Pork
- Classic Beef Brisket
- Old Fashioned Bologna Salad
- Easy Baked Tilapia
- Sour Cream Pork Chops
- Mock Fried Chicken
- Tropical Pork Roast
What to serve with Calico Beans?
Here’s our favorite dinner menu from appetizer to dessert featuring Slow Cooker Cowboy Calico Beans. Find the recipes below!
Our Favorite Baked Bean Recipes
Baked beans, including this calico version, are always a hit at pitch-ins so we have several here on These Old Cookbooks.
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon
- Baked Beans with Ground Beef
- Baked Beans with Pineapple (Crock Pot)
Crock Pot Calico Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. bacon or jowl cut into chunks
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 16 oz. can of pork and beans
- 15 oz. can butter beans, drained
- 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 15 oz. can lima beans, drained
Instructions
- Brown bacon, ground beef and onions in a pan; remove excess fat if desired.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a crock pot insert; cook on low for 4 hours or until warm.
Notes
- Be sure to drain off any excess grease while browning the ground beef and bacon.
- You could swap in and out your favorite beans or whatever you have on hand for this crock pot calico baked bean recipe. We often use white cannellini or Great Northern beans for butter beans.Â
- For Grandma’s calico bean recipe, drain the juices off the beans except for the pork and beans.
- Barbara suggests using smoked, sliced jowl (hers always comes from Rihm Foods) instead of regular bacon for an extra layer of flavor – but regular bacon works just fine!
- Looking for some more ground beef recipes? Try Mom’s Hamburger Gravy and our Hamburger Vegetable Soup with V8 juice.
- Please note that carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional facts can vary greatly depending on the products used. The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
Nutrition
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These crock pot beans looks delicious!!
I don’t use lima beans nearly enough! Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s how I make them but instead of Lima I use black beans and also add mushrooms
Love the mushrooms! We’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing!
What size crock pot?
We use a 6-quart slow cooker.
Ohhh yummy – going to have to make this up – sounds very yummy and a great dish to do up
I love this recipe! I’ve been making it for years.
Add a can of crushed pineapple for a twist and I cook mine for at least 8 hours
We love pineapple in our beans too!
What kind of vinegar?
White distilled vinegar!
Had anyone ever pressure canned cowboy beans?
We have not!