Calico Beans with Beef and Bacon

I love baked bean dishes like this! Filled with a couple different types of beans, hearty mixture of meat, and a sweet and sticky blend of seasonings. We love to serve these type of beans as an entree when camping, or alongside burgers and hot dogs, really anything that you'd find at a barbecue. They're great alongside grilled chicken too.

I love the addition of lima beans - it adds a nice touch of color and I happen to love the texture and flavor of lima beans! The bacon adds great flavor and texture.

The sauce is a little thin with this one, once baked - if you want it thicker, you could try baking with the foil off, or maybe stirring in a small amount of cornstarch before it goes into the oven.

Calico Beans with Beef and Bacon

Ingredients
½ pound bacon
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained (I used a 12-oz bag of frozen lima beans)
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, un-drained (I used pinto)
1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
2 Tablespoons ground dry mustard
½ cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. 
2. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve the grease in the skillet. Add in the ground beef and the diced onion to the bacon grease, and cook until onion is tender and beef is cooked through. Drain off excess grease if needed.
3. Meanwhile, add all remaining ingredients to the prepared baking dish. When the meat mixture is ready, add it to the other ingredients in the baking dish, chop the bacon and add that in as well.
4. Gently stir mixture until well blended.
5. Cover with foil and bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. 
6. Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper if needed before serving.

Recipe adapted from Bea Gassman on AllRecipes