Calico Beans

On Wednesday this week, I really was not doing well. My nausea hit a new height for me and combined with mini headaches to make me feel miserable. I didn't want to have my husband get take out. Part of doing this log is to keep me on course of us eating home cooking as much as possible and to keep unnecessary spending down. So I adjusted my menu plans for the week and made my easiest recipe, Calico Beans which is a family recipe shared to me by my dear friend who has her own cooking blog. Since it is her recipe, I contacted her and got her permission to post it. She does not have it on her blog, so I think this may be the first time this version is posted anywhere, though similar versions will likely be out there.

Basically, Calico Beans is a sweet chili/bean soup. You do not put in any peppers or have it simmer overnight as most ingredients come from a can. The only thing I recommend cooking ahead of time is the ground beef and bacon so that you don't have to do it the might of. Where the recipe says to cook the onion in bacon grease, I just use a bit of olive oil. You can also change out what kind of beans are listed or add more as you desire to make a larger batch or to change up the flavor.

The recipe
Calico Beans
Ingredients

1/2 pound Ground Beef         2 tsp Wine Vinegar
1/2 pound Bacon         1 large can Pork & Beans
1 cup Onion, diced         1 15 ounce can Kidney Beans, drain and save
1 tsp Salt         1 15 ounce can Butter/Lima Beans, drain and save
1/3 cup Brown Sugar 1 15 ounce can Black Beans, drain and save
1 tsp Mustard, dry 1 15 ounce can Garbanzo Beans, drain and save
1 can Tomato Sauce
1/3 cup Catsup

Directions

1. Cook ground beef, drain and set aside.
2. Chop bacon in to 1/2 inch pieces. Cook bacon, drain, and cool on paper towels. Reserve 2 tsp bacon fat.
3. Using bacon fat, cook onions until tender.
4. Into a pot put all cooked in ingredients into pot, using reserved “bean” liquid mix until desired consistency.
5. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until HOT. Serve with cornbread as desired.

The Verdict

I'm not bothering with the "My Opinion" or "My Husband's Opinion" sections on this one because I have been making this recipe since before I got married and my husband frequently requests it. This recipe is also originally gluten free and dairy free so no adjustments need to be made in that regard. I will make a note however, that you should always double check the ingredients label for the can of pork & beans and just make sure that no gluten was used as a binding agent for the sauce they made. Outside of that, this is easily a 5 out of 5 Stars recipe and we will make it often!

I cook large amounts of bacon bits at a time whenever I prep for this recipe as it is always good to have bacon on hand

The Calico beans after it was done simmering in the pot

I served this with Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread topped on it as well as on the side.

You can visit this site for the recipe for Gluten-Free Sweet Cornbread (Dairy Free Option) that I use which is seen below.