Best Slow Cooker Calico Beans for Easy Meals
Bring bold comfort and hearty flavor to your table with Crock-Pot Calico Beans. This satisfying dish is perfect when you want something warm, filling, and full of homemade goodness. It makes a wonderful addition to casual family dinners and relaxed gatherings. The rich and comforting appeal makes it especially inviting for weekends and special occasions. It also fits beautifully into summer BBQ menus, potlucks, and backyard celebrations.
Every serving feels hearty and satisfying. The familiar flavors make this dish easy to enjoy with a variety of meals. Whether you are planning a family dinner or preparing food for a crowd, these calico beans are sure to be a welcome addition.
They are comforting, versatile, and packed with delicious appeal. Save this recipe whenever you need a crowd-friendly dish that brings warmth and flavor to the table.
Slow Cooker Calico Beans
These Calico beans are so good and easy to make. You can pair this recipe with almost anything for dinner! The flavors are smoky, and the texture is so meaty and thick, which makes it super filling and delicious.
What are Calico Beans?
There is one thing that all Calico Bean recipes have in common – a variety of colored beans. Most recipes call for pork and beans, kidney beans, and light beans (like butter, lima, or pinto). Just like how cats have the same name, this has a variety of colors.
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground Beef: I love using ground beef in this recipe, but you are free to use other meats of your choosing.
- Bacon: You can substitute turkey bacon or leave it out completely if you wish.
- Onion: Adding onions to this recipe can make it have extra texture and adds a wonderful aroma.
- Beans: Use cans of pork and beans, kidney beans, and butter beans for this recipe, or any kind of your liking.
- Ketchup: Ketchup will add a sweeter flavor to the baked beans. I could eat this recipe every day!
- Brown Sugar: Using this will add richness to the baked beans as well as make them a whole lot sweeter.
- Worcestershire: To get that delicious smoky flavor to the baked beans, use this sauce.
- Vinegar: Using vinegar will add a bit of sour flavor to the recipe, but it will make it taste so very good.
How To Make Calico Beans
Step 1. Place the ground beef and bacon into a large skillet and cook on medium-high heat. Remove the excess grease once cooked.
Step 2. Put the cooked ground beef, bacon, diced onion, pork and beans, drained kidney and butter beans, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, and water into the crockpot and mix to combine.
Step 3. Add salt and pepper to taste and seal with a lid. Allow the recipe to cook for 4 hours on low, making sure to stir only once.
Step 4. Serve and Enjoy!
What To Eat With Crockpot Baked Beans?
Some of my favorite things to eat with baked beans are hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steak, pork, and other types of meats. You can have them as a side or add more meat to the recipe for a meal.
Tips & Tricks For Making Calico Beans:
Here are some great tips and tricks for making the best baked beans:
- If you don’t have ketchup, you can use BBQ sauce as a substitute.
- To add a pop of flavor, you can put in some bell pepper or jalapeños.
- You can use your favorite types of beans for this recipe. Instead of kidney and butter beans, you can use cannellini, black beans, or pinto beans.
- Another great meat to use instead of beef is breakfast sausage or smoked sausage.
Calico Beans (Crock Pot)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound bacon diced
- Half onion diced
- 1 15 ounces can pork & beans
- 1 15 ounces can kidney beans drained
- 1 15 ounces can butter beans large drained
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown and cook your bacon and ground beef. Drain off the grease.
- To your slow cooker add the ground beef, bacon, diced onion, pork and beans, drained kidney and butter beans, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, vinegar, and water.
- Stir to combine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring once.
- Serve!