Best Calico Beans Recipe
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This is the best Calico Beans Recipe that always gets rave reviews! Made with four types of canned beans in a savory barbecue sauce, it's the perfect vegetarian side dish for picnics, holidays, and family gatherings.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fast and Easy: Comes together quickly, and is a cinch to make at the last minute.
- Rich Flavor: This dish is tangy, zesty, and sweet. If you prefer spicy baked beans, add crushed red pepper flakes to the mix.
- Easy Side Dish: These flavorful beans that make a great side dish for hot dogs, barbecue ribs and pulled pork!
I've been making calico beans for many years, and every time I take them to a gathering my friends want the recipe! This easy side dish is special because it includes four different kinds of beans that creates a calico appearance. Plus, the flavor is off the charts!
Other names for this hearty side dish include cowboy baked beans, baked beans with hamburger, or dutch oven beans. They usually include the addition of bacon, pork sausage, pulled pork, brisket, or lean ground beef. But my calico beans recipe is vegetarian, which appeals to a wide range of folks at picnics and potlucks dinners. 😁
Love this popular side dish? You might like to try these Hawaiian Baked Beans that feature pineapple, peppers and tropical flavors.
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make this recipe. See the recipe card for quantities.
- pork and beans - any type will do
- black beans - adds depth to the recipe
- white navy beans (or butter beans) - adds contrast
- dark red kidney beans - for rich color
- brown sugar - gives the dish its sweetness
- green onions - provides mild onion flavor
- sweet red pepper - makes things a little sassy
- fresh cilantro - kicks things up a notch
- BBQ sauce - adds a zesty flavor
- yellow mustard - adds a savory bite
- stone ground mustard - gives this dish its zing
- hot sauce - adds a little heat
- steak seasoning - a great seasoning in this recipe
How to Make Calico Beans
Mix all ingredients together in a large skillet or the biggest baking dish you can find. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees until a light crust forms on top. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. It's so easy!
You can also make slow cooker calico beans or cook them in an instant pot if you're in a hurry. Crockpot calico beans are really simple to make! Add everything in a crock pot and cook on medium-low heat for 2 hours.
What Readers Say:
" We love this recipe at our house. It's easy to make and everyone goes crazy about the flavor."
...Lisa
Variations
Be as creative as you like and substitute other items if desired. To make this hearty dish with one type of bean, choose pork and beans as the primary ingredient.
Try these variations to mix things up a little bit...
- crispy bacon
- ground turkey, beef, hamburger, brisket, or pulled pork
- garbanzo beans, pinto beans, or lima beans
- tomato sauce or ketchup instead of barbecue sauce
- dry mustard instead of yellow mustard
- jalapeno peppers or chipotles
Serving Ideas
Serve Calico Baked Beans with all types of entrees like pork tenderloin, BBQ ribs and buttermilk chicken tenders. They taste great with burgers, meatball sliders and a bacon bloody mary!
This dish also pairs well with potato salad, creamy coleslaw, macaroni salad and corn pudding.
Gather 'round the grill and serve this popular calico baked bean recipe at your next get-together! Or, enjoy it alongside brown sugar spiral ham at Easter for the perfect holiday meal.
Recipe FAQ
Calico is another word for 'many colors'. That's exactly what you see when you combine a variety of beans into a large bowl. It's like a kaleidoscope of yum!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. If freezing, the consistency might be different after they thaw out, but if you thaw them slowly that should help. Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
The only thing that makes calico beans different than cowboy beans is adding bacon or meat. Calico beans have no meat in them, but you can definitely add it if desired!
Helpful Tips
- Bake calico beans for only 1 hour in the oven. Any longer will cause them to dry out.
- Let dish rest for 15 minutes before serving for best results.
- Leave out the hot sauce and steak seasoning if you don't like spicy food.
- The type of barbecue sauce used makes a difference in taste. If you like bold flavors, be sure to pick a tangy bbq sauce for this recipe.
- This recipe works with several types of beans or just one type. You can change the flavors to suit your taste.
Tried this Recipe and Loved It? ❤️ Please scroll down and leave a *STAR* review for others to read!
Recipe Card
Calico Beans Recipe
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- 13 x 9 inch baking dish
- serving spoons
Ingredients
- 1 can 15 oz pork and beans, undrained (vegetarian version if desired)
- 1 can 15 oz black beans, undrained
- 1 can 15 oz white navy beans, undrained
- 1 can 15 oz kidney beans, undrained
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup green onions (chopped)
- ½ cup sweet red pepper (diced)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 cup zesty BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard
- 1 Tbsp. hot sauce (if you like it spicy)
- ½ teaspoon steak seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all ingredients together in the biggest baking dish or skillet you've got.1 can 15 oz pork and beans, undrained, 1 can 15 oz black beans, undrained, 1 can 15 oz white navy beans, undrained, 1 can 15 oz kidney beans, undrained, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup green onions, ½ cup sweet red pepper, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, 1 cup zesty BBQ sauce, ¼ cup yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard, 1 Tbsp. hot sauce, ½ teaspoon steak seasoning
- Bake for 1 hour until a light crust forms on top.
- Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- This is a vegetarian side dish if you used vegetarian beans.
- To make Cowboy Beans, add ½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon or ground beef before baking.
- Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1 minute, or warm in a 350 degree oven.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
Can this be made ahead?
Hi Janet. Yes, these calico beans are a great recipe to make ahead of time. You can mix them together and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before baking.
I am bringing this to my next potluck. Is it possible to do a vegetarian version without the pork and still have the same flavor?
Absolutely! These beans are actually vegetarian...so you're in luck!
Not if you get the vegetarian version. You can find pork and beans (no meat) in the bean section with the regular pork and beans.
Really good recipe!!! Bush’s Vegetarian Beans are good alone or in this dish. I prefer the sauce flavor to their other styles with pork. I think they are better than the old standard pork and beans with the chunks of pork fat.
Thank you Nancy!
Love these baked beans so much!
Thanks, Kara! They're pretty yummy if I do say so myself! 🙂
Hey Kara! I love them too...they have so much flavor!
This looks easy enough for me to make. Looks delicious too. I think I'll try it.
Cool beans! haha..is that a pun? 🙂