Aunties Year Round Beans – Crockpot

This recipe can be used as a side dish or a main meal, depending on how much ground beef you add. This recipe has been in use in my husbands family for many years and is a staple in our home.

In a large skillet, brown 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef.
Add a chopped onion and 2 ribs of chopped celery.
Season the meat with pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and some celery salt. I season this a bit heavier than I normally would because of everything that is added later. (depending on the meat, drain off the excess fat)

In a large crockpot, place;
a large can of pork and beans,
large can of mushrooms,
can of baby butter beans,
can of kidney beans and any other beans that you like.
Mix well. My family likes the gravy this makes, so I do not drain the beans or mushrooms.

Add;
1/2 cup of catchup,
1 tsp ground mustard,
1 tsp red wine vinegar,
1/2 cup brown sugar (my family likes it sweeter, so I use a full cup of brown sugar) the sugar is to taste but most people seem to like it sweeter than 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Stir well.

Add the ground meat mixture from the frying pan to the crockpot.

Cook for about 3 hours in your crockpot on high.

I serve it with french bread, but homemade bread sliced a little thicker works great too. This recipe makes plenty for a large family or for leftovers and it freezes well. It can also be used as a side dish when grilling out, just use less hamburger to start with and drain the kidney, butter beans and mushrooms so it has less gravy. My family loves it as a main dish meal. You can serve it over mashed potatoes or noodles too!