bean&burgercasserole

Bean & Burger Casserole

A savory / mildly-sweet slow-cooked bean recipe that's excellent as a side and for picnics.

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 pound good bacon sliced into thin strips

1 small onion, diced

1/2 to 1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can of plain tomato sauce or tomato puree

2 cans of white beans -- or your choice -- drained and rinsed

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dark molasses (can substitute brown sugar)

1 t prepared yellow mustard

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t salt

1/2 t chile powder mixture

Directions:

In a large, heavy pan, saute sliced or diced bacon on high heat until crispy -- do not drain. Add onion and green pepper and saute for one minute. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain off fat.

Return to high heat and add tomato sauce (or puree), ketchup, molasses, mustard, pepper, salt and chile powder mixture. Stir and bring to a boil. Add beans and bring to boil then turn heat to low. Cook covered and let gentle simmer for 1 hour stirring at least every 15 minutes. Note that instead of cooking on a stove top for 1 hour, you can transfer the entire mixture at this time to a slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour.

Adjust salt, pepper and sweetness to your liking. This is intentionally not overly sweet.