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So Simple and So Yummy!
I finally figured it out! I’ve been working for quite some time to figure out a really good crock pot baked bean recipe…and I finally did!
I know its just beans but it works really great with these Best-Ever Slow Cooker Ribs Recipe and Steakhouse Mac & Cheese. The coolest part is I made them all in one meal.
Just bing, bang, boom! It wasn’t like I wasn’t trying, I was. It just all worked out for one heck of a delicious meal and the slow cooker cooked 2 of the 3 items.
That meant less than an hour all in all for a delicious meal that was 1/3 the price of a steakhouse AND we didn’t have to drive an hour to get to them either. Yes, I live rurally enough it takes an hour to get to a decent steakhouse.
But no longer! I can do it here and not need to leave…unless I want to :)
Super Simple Does Not Mean Boring!
This Meal Was Why I made the Beans!
This was a red letter day. I am NOT tooting my own horn here. I'd had several epic fails before I got any one of these recipes right. The red letter part was simply 'cause it ALL worked out in one day!
Yes, I did a happy dance. Yes, everyone love everything. Yes, I've got all the recipes :)
- Better than Steakhouse Slow Cooker Ribs
- Steakhouse Mac & Cheese
- Slow Cooker “Cheater” Rolls (not pictured but part of the meal)
Simple Just Might Be Better Most Times
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the simplest recipes are the best? I’ve made some stuff that once I started listing out the ingredients I think…why? Just why?
I get that some people want to eat whole foods and not have anything processed. And that’s totally cool. I personally know how to do that and do at times.
But alas, since I haven’t been ubber brilliant and created a time machine or anything…there are only so many hours in the day. And since that’s the case my choice of shortcuts was canned beans and premade barbecue sauce.
Homemade & From Scratch Ingredients
Can you make your own barbecue sauce? Absolutely. Do I have a recipe? Nope. I’ve never been able to make one that I liked as good as KC Masterpiece.
Can you use dried beans? You betcha! I do this one all the time. It’s just a time saver to do canned beans and I didn’t think of side dishes ‘til the morning of.
If you decide to use dried beans just follow these steps.
Using Dried Beans
- Measure out ½ the amount of beans you’ll need and rinse them well. For this recipe that’s 2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups of dried beans.
This recipe calls for 3 cans of beans. I used three different kinds and I’m sure that changes up the taste a bit but it isn’t necessary. You can just use one kind of dried bean if you like…or two…or eight.
You just need to between 4 ½ and 5 cups when you’re done. I don’t have an exact because neither do cans of beans. Nothing seems ever to be exact anymore. Totally depends on the brand.
- Toss them in the crockpot insert and add 2 to 3 times the amount of water as dried beans. Cover and allow to sit overnight.
- The next morning, rinse them very well in a colander, preferably twice.
That twice part isn’t absolutely necessary but I think they sometimes smell weird if you don’t. I’m not sure why, it could be they’re trying to begin the sprouting process.
- Wash and dry your crock pot insert and spray, oil or butter it liberally.
- Continue with recipe using pre-soaked, dried beans but add ¾ cup water to the recipe.
So…without further ado ;) this crock pot baked bean recipe IS very easy. It only takes 7 ingredients if you make it exactly like mine…5 if you use one kind of bean. You then toss them in and forget about them for the day. It really can’t get much simpler than that!
I hope you like the recipe. Let me know!
Crock Pot Baked Beans Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can red beans
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece original)
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions:
- Spray, oil or butter the crockpot insert. Don’t skip this part with beans. Epic fail if you do. It won’t affect the taste of the beans but it can damage the coating on your crockpot insert. True story…I’ve had it happen twice.
- Pour everything in the slow cooker and stir it up well.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours (high for about 3 to 3 1/2).
Don't forget...this recipe is ubber delicious paired up with:
- Baby Back Slow Cooker Ribs
- 2-Ingredient "Cheater" Crockpot Bread
- Steakhouse Mac & Cheese
The ribs are made in a second slow cooker. So's the bread. The mac and cheese is made in a cast iron skillet. If you don't own that many crockpots (yeah, yeah I do) you can make the beans ahead of time and toss them in the refrigerator. The ribs too, they just don't go in the broiler before hand. You'll get what I mean when you check out the recipe...
I’m sure I could figure out the crockpot for the mac and cheese but why? It’s really good just like it is. I hate to mess with success once I get it figured out. I may give it a shot one day, but I’m in no rush :)
Again, let me know what you think of the baked beans recipe…and also Happy Crockin’!
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Recipe
Crock Pot Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can red beans
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce I used KC Masterpiece original
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Spray, oil or butter the crockpot insert. Don’t skip this part with beans. Epic fail if you do. It won’t affect the taste of the beans but it can damage the coating on your crockpot insert. True story…I’ve had it happen twice.
- Pour everything in the slow cooker and stir it up well.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours (high for about 3 to 3 1/2).
Do you drain the liquid off the canned beans?
Most of the time no I don't. You need some liquid. But there are a few brands that have over an inch of liquid on top when I opened them, that kind I drained off about half. But you'll be fine even if you don't drain anything. A little extra liquid would be better than not enough in this case.