Oven-Baked Calico Beans Recipe

This Baked Calico Beans Recipe combines three types of beans, ground beef, and bacon in a sweet and tangy sauce. Baked until warm and saucy, it’s an easy side dish that can double as a complete meal! 

Looking for more ways to use beans? Try our Mediterranean bean salad recipe and southwest quinoa salad, too.

A spoon digging into a pan of calico beans.

If you’re unfamiliar, calico beans, also known as cowboy beans and trucker beans, are a twist on classic baked beans. They typically consist of canned pork and beans, kidney beans, and butter beans paired with ground beef and crisp bacon. A staple summer side dish, especially in the Midwest, they’re sweet, savory, and oh-so-delicious! 

Our version is one we grew up eating as kids. However, we took the original and made it just a little healthier. It still has all the taste and texture you love, but is a little lower in sugar and still fairly high in protein. It’s a win-win! 

Ingredients You Need

Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions to make this calico beans recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details! 

Labeled ingredients for oven baked calico beans on a white marble countertop.
  • Bacon – Use any cut of bacon you like best. Feel free to substitute turkey bacon if you don’t eat pork. 
  • Onion – White or yellow onion helps flavor the beef. 
  • Ground Beef – Use lean ground beef, 80% or leaner. Or, opt for ground turkey, ground bison, or ground venison instead! 
  • Coconut Sugar – We use this to reduce the glycemic index of the beans and provide a sweet taste. However, brown sugar works just as well. 
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – This adds the perfect touch of tang and enhances the sweet flavors of the rest of the ingredients. 
  • Salt – Adjust to taste. 
  • Ketchup – We use a sugar-free ketchup, but any brand you like best will work just fine! 
  • Mustard – Use regular yellow mustard for a tangy kick. 
  • Beans – Pinto beans, kidney beans, and canned green beans or white navy beans form the base of the dish! 

How to Make the Best Calico Bean Recipe 

Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Cooked diced bacon in bacon fat in a stainless steel sauté pan.
  1. Cook the bacon. Heat a large Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat, and cook the bacon until crispy. Then, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan. 
Ground beef and diced onion in a pan with cooked bacon in a bowl.

2. Brown the beef. Add the onion and ground beef, and cook, breaking up the beef, until it’s browned. 

Kidney beans, pinto beans, bacon, seasonings and ground beef in a saute pan.

3. Combine the ingredients. Add the cooked bacon and remaining ingredients back to the pot, and gently stir to combine. 

Unbaked calico beans in a white 9x13 baking dish.

4. Bake. Transfer the pot to the oven, and bake for 30 minutes or until the sides are bubbly. 

Note: If your pot isn’t oven-safe, transfer the bean mixture to a 9×13 glass baking dish, and bake as normal. 

Calico beans baked in a 9x13 white baking dish.

Serving Suggestions 

Honestly, this baked calico beans recipe is one of our all-time favorite dishes, and we only make it a few times a year. So, we’ve been known to eat it on its own or with just a side of cornbread

However, it’s also great as a side dish with summer meals like: 

A spoon in a pan of baked ground beef and cowboy beans.

Common Questions 

Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker instead? 

Absolutely! To make slow cooker calico beans, combine all the ingredients on the stovetop as usual. Then, transfer it to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours or until the mixture is bubbling. 

How long do calico beans last? 

Stored in an airtight container, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Can I freeze leftovers? 

Yes! Once cool, you can transfer the beans to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat your calico beans in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop over medium heat. 

Oven baked calico beans with ground beef in a white ceramic dish with a spoon.
A spoon digging into a pan of calico beans.

Oven-Baked Calico Beans Recipe

Sammi Ricke
Learn how to make the best lower-sugar, high-protein oven-baked calico beans recipe for a hearty, budget-friendly side dish or main course!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine All American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 339 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 6 ounces bacon chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 15 ounce can pinto beans, half drained (half the liquid in the can is needed in the casserole)
  • 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained
  • 15 ounce can green beans or white navy beans, drained (see notes)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • In a large Dutch oven or skillet on the stovetop, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Leave 1-2 Tablespoons bacon renderings (grease/fat) in the pan.
    6 ounces bacon
  • Add the onion and ground beef to the bacon renderings. Cook on medium heat until meat is browned.
    1 small onion, 1 lb ground beef
  • Add the cooked bacon and remaining ingredients to the skillet and gently stir until all the ingredients are combined.
    1/2 cup coconut sugar, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard, 15 ounce can pinto beans, half drained, 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained, 15 ounce can green beans or white navy beans, drained, 6 ounces bacon
  • Place the Dutch oven in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the sides of the beans are bubbly. If you are not using a stovetop-to-oven safe pan, pour the casserole into a 9×13 glass pan and bake at 30 min or until the sides are bubbly.
  • Serve warm. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

Prep Tips – There is no need to rinse any of the canned beans and if some liquid/water from the cans ends up in the casserole that is fine. The original recipe has more liquid in it, but I prefer it with less like this version. However, if you don’t have some liquid from the beans the casserole will be too dry. So that is why I say, add 1/2 the liquid from the pinto beans and that should be perfect!
Substitute Tips – Any kind of beans will work in this dish. I chose pinto, kidney, and green beans, but Lima, navy, or any combination tastes just as great!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 339kcalCarbohydrates: 30.8gProtein: 22.5gFat: 14.9gSaturated Fat: 4.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 55.2mgSodium: 827.5mgPotassium: 57.3mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 17.9gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 2.3mgCalcium: 2.7mgIron: 0.1mg
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5 from 1 vote

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I always bring this to BBQs in the summer. Its hearty and so good with burgers and all the summer salads. Yummy!