Ground beef and baked bean casserole, or cookout casserole, combines all the cookout flavors into one hearty dish. You don’t need to wait for good weather to enjoy these summertime flavors!
Burgers and baked beans are pretty much a given at most cookouts.
At least among our family and friends.
And they are a classic combination of flavors because they just pair so well together.
This casserole takes the flavors of burgers and baked beans and puts them into an easy, family friendly dish that doesn’t depend on good weather.
Ingredients
To make this, you’ll need:
- Oil– Either vegetable oil or olive oil
- Onions– Finely chopped
- Ground beef– I recommend a leaner ground beef so it’s not super greasy.
- Baked beans– Go for Boston baked beans. The difference between these and regular baked beans? Boston style uses molasses in the sauce instead of brown sugar.
- Tomatoes– Finely chopped
- Brown sugar– Use the light brown sugar and make sure to pack it when you measure it.
- Flavorings– Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste
- Bacon– Your favorite kind of bacon.
How to Make
This cookout casserole is so easy to make!
To do it, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set it aside.
While the oven preheats, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the onion to the skillet and cook it about 5 minutes or until softened.
Then, add the beef and cook it about 10 minutes or until brown, breaking the meat up with a spatula as it cooks.
Once the beef and onion are cooked, add the beef mixture to a large bowl along with the remaining ingredients except the bacon and mix it well.
Then, pour beef mixture into the prepared casserole dish and arrange the bacon slices on top.
Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
Bake about 45 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
Uncover dish and preheat broiler.
Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bacon is nice and crisp.
Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This casserole is delicious as is.
I also love scooping helpings of it onto burger buns and eating it sloppy joe style.
Storing leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Use at least 85% lean ground beef to keep the casserole from being really greasy.
- You can top the casserole with your other favorite burger fixin’s when its out of the oven.
- Use your favorite brand or variety of baked beans. I recommend Bush’s.
- Don’t like ground beef? Use ground turkey instead! Same goes for subbing turkey bacon for the traditional pork variety.
Other Cookout Inspired Dishes
Cookout casserole is one of our family’s favorite ways to enjoy the flavors of summer anytime. Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other cookout inspired dishes? Try these:
- Creamy Coleslaw Pasta Salad
- Bubble Up Chili Cheese Dog Bake
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
- Chicken And Cornbread Stuffed Peppers
- Mac & Cheese Stuffed Honey Barbecue Meatloaf
- Oven Baked Hot Dogs
If you’ve tried this GROUND BEEF AND BAKED BEAN CASSEROLE (COOKOUT CASSEROLE), or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Ground Beef & Baked Bean Casserole (AKA Cookout Casserole)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions finely chopped, about 2 cups
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 15 oz cans Boston-style baked beans
- 2 medium tomatoes seeded & finely chopped, about 1 cup
- 1/4 packed cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste
- 6 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes or until browned, breaking the meat up into crumbles as it cooks.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef mixture with the remaining ingredients except the bacon; mix well.
- Pour beef mixture into the prepared casserole; arrange the bacon slices on top. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Uncover dish and preheat broiler. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bacon is nice and crisp.
Notes
- Use at least 85% lean ground beef to keep the casserole from being really greasy.
- You can top the casserole with your other favorite burger fixin's when its out of the oven.
- Use your favorite brand or variety of baked beans. I recommend Bush's.
- Don't like ground beef? Use ground turkey instead! Same goes for subbing turkey bacon for the traditional pork variety.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Plain Chicken
originally published May 6, 2014
Alma Redinger says
You have too many wonderful recipes. I just keep looking and see more and more.
They all look so delicious. I want to try the Three Cheese Chicken Rotini Pasta Cassrtole. Yummy.
4sonsrus says
Thank you so much for such a sweet compliment. Yes, that’s a great one to try. If yummy, quick & easy casseroles are what you’re looking for- type casserole in the search bar and it should bring up the majority of them. Another good term to search would be ‘bake’, to find our hot baked dishes that are in the same vein.