I haven’t made anything that is comfort food in a while. This was after a long week. These BBQ beef beans are like a cross between baked beans and beef chili. They are hearty, delicious, and easy to prepare, and you can make them from scratch or pre-made. Please scroll down to find out how to make them vegetarian or increase the number of vegetables.
MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
You can make this dish vegetarian by replacing the Worcestershire sauce with a vegetarian version. Worcestershire contains anchovies. Annies Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, the most well-known brand, can be purchased at Whole Foods or other large grocery stores. You can swap the ground beef for one more can of beans once your BBQ sauce has become vegetarian. Pinto is my favorite choice, as it gives you a variety of colors and shapes with your beans. You could also double the kidney or black beans.
RELEASE THE VEGETABLES
Although I am a big believer in adding vegetables to my meals whenever possible, I wanted to make it as easy as possible today. You could add some diced onions, bell peppers, or shredded cabbage to balance it out. You can also use bagged shredded coleslaw mix to make it simple. Just a couple of tablespoons should be enough to brown the beef.
HOMEMADE BBQ Sauce VS. STORE BOUGHT
I was working on a homemade BBQ sauce this week, so I decided to use my homemade sauce. You can sub 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce if you don’t feel the need to make your own or don’t have all the ingredients.
HOW TO SERVE BBQ BEEF & BEANS
I served mine in a bowl with brown rice, cheddar, green onion, and some green onions. But you can also make this on a bun, such as a slider or sloppy Joe. You can also serve it on its own with oyster crackers or saltine.
BBQ BEEF and BEANS
These sweet and tangy BBQ Beef and Beans are a comforting, simple weeknight meal that the whole family will enjoy.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Tbsp of cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cloves minced garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. Ground beef ($2.65)
- 1 15oz. 1 15oz.
- 1 15oz. 1 15oz.
HOMEMADE BBQ Sauce
- 8 oz. tomato sauce ($0.25)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar ($0.12)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp molasses ($0.35)
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.05)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.02)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.01)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- Salt to taste ($0.02)
SERVING
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.80)
- 4 oz. shredded cheddar ($0.85)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic on medium heat for 1 minute. Continue to cook the ground beef until it is cooked through. Drain any fat from the beef with a higher fat content before moving on to the next step.
- Rinse and drain the beans. Add the beans to a skillet with the ground meat.
- To make the Homemade BBQ Sauce, add the following ingredients to the skillet: tomato sauce, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, Dijon, brown sugar, molasses. Smoked paprika and garlic powder. Onion powder. Cayenne pepper.
- Mix the ingredients and continue to cook until thickened. Let the sauce come to a simmer, then cook the beans and beef in the sauce for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Salt to taste. I added 1/2 teaspoon.
- Serve the BBQ Beef & Beans by placing 1 cup of cooked rice into each bowl. Top with 1 cup BBQ Beef & Beans. Finally, sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese and some sliced green onions.
NOTES
*This recipe can be made faster by substituting 1 cup of your preferred bottled BBQ sauce instead of the homemade BBQ sauce.
NUTRITION
Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 742.13 Kcal Carbohydrates 100.15 G Protein: 35.45 G Fat: 21.73g Sodium 1749.25 mg Fiber 13.63g