These Slow-Cooker Calico Beans are a fast, frugal, and delicious dinner that the entire family will love! The best part? They can be cooked in the Instant Pot ( try these Instant Pot Calico Beans) or the oven as well. I finally got around to making this calico beans recipe ( what the heck kind of name are calico beans?), which Mike has literally been bugging me to make all summer long.
How to Make Calico Beans
Preparing calico beans is pretty simple. Other than cooking the bacon and the beef separately, you essentially just combine all of the ingredients into a pot and cook until they’re done. See the instructions below for how easy this is. If you love bean-based recipes, try my Chili Recipe, too!
Ingredients
- Four slices of thick-cut bacon diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- One can of 28 ounces of molasses pork and beans
- One can of 16 ounces of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- One can of 16 ounces of lima beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- One tablespoon of cider vinegar
- One teaspoon of prepared mustard
- One teaspoon salt
Directions
- In a large skillet or at the bottom of your Instant Pot, use the “saute” button to cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add in the beef and onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink, then drain.
- Combine the beef mixture, bacon, beans, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, and salt in a slow cooker or in the Instant Pot.
- For the slow cooker, you can cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- For the Instant Pot, you can also cook on low all day OR use the chili/stew button and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- If you want to cook in the oven, spoon the mixture into a greased 2-qt. Baking dish.
- Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45-60 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Calico beans are sweet and tangy. They are hearty, filling, frugal, cheerful, and freaking delicious. Where have calico beans been all of my life? Mike says that his Mom made them all the time when he was younger ( thus, he knew how delicious they were already), but I don’t remember this dish from my childhood in the slightest. I could have eaten them, but I don’t recall them at all.
The kids LOVED them. The kind of love that had them asking, no, they actually were begging me for seconds. The kind of love that had them taking leftover calico beans steaming hot in a Thermos the next day to school for lunch. That’s a lot of profound dinner love from my kids. They also love my Kitchen Sink Chili Recipe, which is a sure-fire winner if you want another easy recipe to try.
Myself? I am totally obsessed with them. For something that I hadn’t ever heard of, I quickly fell in love with them. There is something SO right about how all the flavors meld together in the pot. Molasses, ketchup, mustard, all the fabulous base flavors that the best dishes are made of, and then you add in beans, bacon, and meat.
So good.
I honestly had to stop myself from making calico beans right away, again, as I don’t want the kids to get sick of them. But you guys, for real, as soon as I finished my one measly bowl (yes, I’m sad, I saved the rest for the kids for school. You can’t say that I don’t sacrifice for my kids! Right!!??), I was ready to make them the next day and eat them with a fresh, carbo-licious buttered bun.
No really. I am THAT obsessed with these.
Make them, please. You will thank Mike’s Mom for it, and if you do like them, try these Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans (with an Instant Pot version), which are very similar.
Has anyone else tried these? Were they a childhood staple for you?
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
Slow Cooker Calico Beans
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 can 28 ounces molasses pork and beans
- 1 can 16 ounces kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can 16 ounces lima beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large skillet or in the bottom of your Instant Pot using the “saute” button, cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add in the beef and onion and cook until the meat is no longer pink, then drain.
- Combine the beef mixture, bacon, beans, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, mustard and salt in a slow cooker or in the Instant Pot.
- For the slow cooker, you can cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
- For the Instant Pot, you can also cook on low all day OR use the chili/stew button and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- If you want to cook in the oven you can also spoon the mixture into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 45-60 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Irla Irwin says
I can’t find the pork & beans with molasses here in Arizona. However, I do have molasses so how much should I add to get that depth of flavour?
Sherri Metz says
I love this recipe! I usually tweak recipes to make them more to my liking. I didn’t tweak one thing. They are delicious!
Donna White says
This is by far the best Calico Beans recipe that I have ever made or eaten. Absolutely delicious and everyone loves them.
Jennie B says
My sister gave me a Calico Bean recipe yrs ago…almost identical…we use Sausage & Ground beef…I use spicy sausage & cajun seasoning. (Just enough heat)….& the next day…I make a YUMMY COLD BEAN SANDWICH (Thanks Dad)
Mary J Robbins says
I have made this recipe so many times, I can’t count. I use ground turkey and it’s great! Thanks for the recipe.
Jennie says
Karlynn, I’ve made this recipe before and LOVED it – thanks!.
I have no lima beans right now, though, and really want to make this for tomorrow. Do you think great northern beans would serve as an ok sub for the limas?
Beany cheers 🙂
Karlynn says
Those would work great! Any beans should work as long as you don’t skip the sweet sauced ones!
Chelsea says
They’re called calico because of the coloring… like a calico cat.
Rhonda says
I got a burn notice with this recipe, only time I’ve ever gotten one, how can I prevent this? I had to finish them in the oven, so lots of dishes now:(
Cheryl says
What’s a “burn notice”???
Jan says
I think the name Calico comes from the tricolor beans, like a Calico cat is tricolored.
Kaceylynn says
I have been making these for such a long time however I havent made them since last winter so when I thought of them I panicked a little bit because my son was diagnosed this year with type 1 diabetes which means carb counting is now my whole life!!!! I was looking for a recipe and dreading trying to figure out the carb count for this huge mix of different carbs!!! Fell apon yours and could cry I’m so excited the nutrition info is here GOD BLESS YOUR LIFE !!!!
KimfromNH says
Denise – it’s supposed to be the consistency of a pot of baked beans. A little bit of thick liquid, but not broth. 🙂
KimfromNH says
Had these growing up. My Mom never used the dry mustard, but might try that.
Hubby and I have tweaked the recipe to:
1 lb. ground beef, 1 large onion, 1 lb. bacon, 2 28oz. cans baked beans, 3/4 cup ketchup, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and
one 14oz. can each of: dark red kidney beans and light red kidney beans (drain half the liquid), and
one 14oz. can each, drained, of: white (kidney, cannellini or great northern), pink beans, lima beans
Always a hit at potlucks and great hot or cold.
DENISE BROWN says
This is my time hearing about this recipe. I had to cook it on my job. My question is: Is it suppose to be like soup or not? Seems like it didn’t have enough or no liquid in it but didn’t know if it was right or not. Thanks.
Jan says
How many days ahead of time can the bean hotdogs be made?
Evelyn Kay Gibson says
I just saw your recipe, I looked at the pic and thought it needed more juice too. I haven’t made it though.
Diana Hipsley says
IN IP QR or NPR ?
Denise says
I haven’t had thesenfor years! My mom made them all the time and LOVED them! I’m going to make these soon!
Kathy says
Is there something that could be substituted in for the meat? Would lentils work?
Karlynn Johnston says
Lentils would work!
jeanniesvariety@yahoo.com says
How many lentils can you use, to replace the meat?
Christina says
It doesn’t have enough liquid to cook in the Instant pot. You will get a burn notice. Had to finish in the oven which meant more dishes and dinner was later than we like. It was easy and good though. It could probably be cooked in the Instant pot if it were cooked in a separate bowl inside and using the trivet.
Jeff Johnson says
Or frozen soy crumbles. And then you might add some liquid smoke to compensate for the missing bacon flavor.
April says
Just like from my childhood!! Thanks for the reminder!
Karlynn Johnston says
I am so glad that you love them!