Amish Calico Beans in a Slow Cooker

Amish Calico Beans in a Slow Cooker – Easy Crockpot Dinner with Pork and Beans and Ground Beef

5-Ingredient Amish Calico Beans in a Slow Cooker is a warm, hearty, and budget-friendly dinner that brings classic comfort food flavor to the table. This slow cooker recipe combines ground beef, pork and beans in tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and onions to create a sweet and savory dish that everyone loves.

It simmers low and slow in the crockpot, letting the flavors blend into a rich, satisfying meal with minimal effort. Perfect for busy weeknights or family dinners, this recipe is one of those dishes that always gets a yes at my house and leaves everyone asking for seconds.

Combine pork and beans with ground beef and 3 other ingredients in slow cooker to have a delicious dinner that is always yes in my house.

Amish Calico Beans in a Slow Cooker

Ingredients

Ground beef (80-90% lean)
- Quantity: 1 1/2 pounds
- Notes: Lean beef reduces excess grease.
Pork and beans in tomato sauce
- Quantity: 2 cans (28 ounces each)
- Notes: Use with all the sauce included.
Barbecue sauce
- Quantity: 1/2 cup
- Notes: Choose your favorite smoky flavor.
Packed brown sugar
- Quantity: 1/3 cup
- Notes: Packed firmly for accurate sweetness.
Small onion, finely chopped (yellow) (approved about 1 cup)
- Quantity: 1 small
- Notes: Chop evenly for better softening.

Directions For making Amish Calico Beans in a Slow Cooker

Step 1: Prepare the Beef and Onion

Put the raw ground beef into the bottom of the 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. With a spoon or clean hands, break it in large pieces gently so that it cooks without any problems, yet it is not totally smooth.

Sprinkle the chopped onion throughout the beef, side by side as much as possible on its surface. This contributes towards the softening and flavoring of meat as it is cooked.

Step 2: Mix the Sauce

Combine the barbecue sauce and brown sugar in a medium bowl or large measuring cup and stir until the sugar has been mostly dissolved. This quick mix helps spread the sweet and smoky flavors evenly through the beans.

Step 3: Layer the Ingredients

Add the pork and beans (with all the sauce) in the slow cooker on top of the onions and ground beef. Pour the barbecue sauce and brown sugar mixture over the beans at this point and ensure that it covers the top.

With a spoon, push the sauce down into the beans but do not stir everything thoroughly. At this stage you want layers, ground beef on the bottom, onions in the middle and beans and sauce on top. The meat will be cooked in the juicy juices.

Step 4: Cook

Cover the top of the slow cooker with a lid and cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or cook on HIGH 3 to 4 hours or until the ground beef is cooked and the mixture is hot and bubbly. After a half-time, break any big pieces of beef with a spoon, and give the beans a light and gentle stir to mix.

Step 5: Adjust and Serve

When the beef has been well cooked and the sauce has become slightly thick, taste and add seasoning, as you please. You can add a pinch of salt, pepper, or an additional spoon of barbecue sauce to be smokier depending on your barbecue sauce.

Ready Serve the calico beans straight out of the slow cooker. In case you are not happy with the thinness of the mixture, omit the lid, and cook on HIGH another 15 to 20 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate and the sauce to concentrate.