Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Sweet-n-Sour Beans

this is an old family recipe...
well, maybe not old...but it's a recipe that I have found memories of from childhood and make it for my family and they love it...

it's a fast one to throw together with stuff you usually have in the pantry and you can 'ad-lib' the recipe a bit...
and it also does well in the crock pot...
it can be a main dish or a side...
beef or vegetarian....

love the versatility of this recipe...

Sweet-n-Sour Beans
1 lb ground beef (optional if you're going the vegetarian route!)
1 onion chopped (optional)
2 stalks celery chopped (optional...I just forget these sometimes...so focused on the beans)
3-5 cans of beans*, drained and rinsed,
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup vinegar
water

brown the ground beef with the onion and celery in a medium pot, drain. (or put into crock pot)
add the rest of the ingredients, may need to add a can or two of water depending on the consistency you want...I prefer a heartier recipe so I don't usually add any...
stir and bring to boil, simmer for about 20 minutes before serving...you can cook for longer...the longer the better the flavors will be.
or in the crock for as long as you need...high for 3 hours, low for up to 10....

* use all or a mixture of what you have in your pantry or what your family likes...
I usually chose based on color, the more variety the better, this is the norm...1 can kidney, 1 can black, 1 can white (great northern or white kidney), 1 can green beans
other options are pinto beans, garbanzo beans, butter beans, black eyed beans, etc...I would steer clear of any bean that has been flavored like a chili bean...

~this is great with cornbread for dinner
~as a side at a bbq or potluck
~with meat/without meat this is hearty and filling!

1 comment:

Linda said...

Just an FYI - the original recipe I use says at least one of the bean cans has to be pork n beans, so when I, your mother, make it, I ALWAYS put in pork and beans no matter what other combinations I come up with. Yours are yummy so goes to show that ANY combination will work!