Ben’s Beans—My Uncle’s Favorite Baked Beans

This week I, again, walked down memory lane to my copy of the McCarthy/Swanson Family Reunion Cookbook!  I found a great recipe, Ben’s Beans, which according to the note my Aunt Joyce left about the recipe was “Ben’s contribution that he would make for all of our family get-togethers.  This is the basic recipe—but he would always add a pinch of this and a pinch of that!”  After making Uncle Ben’s recipe this week, I don’t know if it needs a little of this or that!  These beans are awesome and they have a special ingredient that makes them almost a meal!

Ben’s Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (I used grass-fed.)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup (I used organic.)
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I used half of that amount of Truvia Cane Sugar Blend.)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup coconut sugar.)
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 can lima beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 28-ounce can B&M Baked Beans (I used Original.)

Instructions:

Mix all above ingredients and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Could this be any easier to make?  Plus, the best part is the beans are delicious! The addition of the ground beef makes them a meal!  I also loved having three types of beans in the recipe.  The recipe does not call for salt or pepper.  Maybe that was the little bit of this or that Uncle Ben added.  These baked beans would be perfect for the 4th of July or any celebration, especially in the summer.  This recipe made one full loaf pan and three mini-loaf pans of beans.  They are delicious hot or cold.  As you can see from the photo, I made a summer salad with tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers and olives to have with the beans.  Later, I had watermelon!  I hope you will try this special recipe! Enjoy!

Ben’s Beans