3 Bean Casserole...

3 Bean Casserole

It doesn't get any better than 3 Bean Casserole...some people call them Cowboy beans....what ever you call them, they always please the crowds...I have been making these beans for 30 years, for camping, for picnics, potlucks and family dinners, I got this recipe from my kids Grandmother...she was the coolest lady...she was from Virginia and had a great accent...I loved to hear her speak..she had a few sisters who competed with each other, cooking...it was a great place to be in, when they were all together...talk about good eats! .....I didn't think this recipe was a blogable item....but my daughter called the other day for the recipe. She first checked the blog and was surprised I hadn't made them...whoops...so here they are! The best and easiest beans!!! From my house to yours....

3 Bean Casserole

1 lb of bacon, diced

1 lb of lean hamburger

1 cup of chopped onions

1 can of butter beans

1 can of kidney beans

1 can pork and beans

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon vinegar

11/2 teaspoon dry mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Brown the onion, bacon and hamburger...drain, add the beans, sugars, ketchup and seasonings...cover and bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour....

First is the bacon, onion and hamburger....

Dice the bacon and fry...this is a 12 ounce package of bacon...that is fine...don't worry that it is not really a pound....take my advice and don't cook the bacon, onion an hamburger together...they don't cook well that way.....

I fry the bacon until it is very, very crisp....it will loosen back up in the beans.....

take it out and set aside....drain all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon grease out of the pan...return the pan to the stove and add...

the chopped onion....

to the bacon grease...cook until half cooked....

and add the lean ground beef....

brown well..

add back in the crisp bacon....

drain the beans...(not the pork and beans) and note I didn't buy the butter beans...I bought the great northerns...buy the ones you like....

add beans..I am making this in the heavy casserole dish I am going to bake it in...

add the sugars and seasonings....

stir, cover and it is ready to go into the oven...at this point you can put it in the refrigerator until the next day or even in the freezer....

bake for 1 hour, covered in the 350 oven...or in a crock pot for  few hours....

and get ready to eat the best darn beans ever!!!!

Cheers to Happy !!