THE BEST Southern Baked Beans

Southern baked beans! My FAVORITE summer side!! Made with ground beef. Super easy. So delicious. Always the first dish gone at a potluck.

Southern baked beans plated in a bowl

This is my mom’s recipe for baked beans. And no baked beans even come close to these. No restaurant’s or person’s even compare to these.

They are out of this world.

The best part is they are so easy.

It starts with a couple cans of Bush’s Southern Pit Barbecue Grillin’ Baked Beans.

Then you doctor it up with ground beef, green bell peppers, onions, and brown sugar.

The baked beans get caramelized from the brown sugar. They can stand on their own thanks to the ground beef. And they get a zap of fresh flavor from the green peppers and onions.

You could probably try different brands of baked beans if you can’t find the Bush ones. But I’m not 100% sure how that would work. Because I have never tried a different brand.

Southern Baked beans served by the spoonful

Can you make these ahead of time?

Yes! Prepare the beans in the skillet until everything is combined. Then cover and refrigerate. Bake when you’re ready to make them!

Can you freeze the baked beans?

Yes! Transfer to an airtight container. Defrost them in the fridge and reheat in the oven, in the crockpot or on the stovetop!

What to serve with these southern baked beans:

You could bring these to literally any cookout.

Or make burgers with this burger seasoning. These beans + corn on the cob would make the best summer cookout meal. And these ice cream sandwiches or strawberry shortcake cups for dessert!!

These turkey burgers or BBQ boneless chicken thighs would also be amazing.

If you aren’t wanting to grill, serve it with BBQ back back ribs.

Watch the recipe video here:

Southern Baked Beans

My favorite summer side!! Super easy. So delicious. Always the first dish gone at a potluck.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 green bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 sweet onion, finely diced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 (22 oz) cans Bush's Southern Pit Barbecue Baked Beans
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 4 teaspoons yellow mustard

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  • In an oven safe skillet or dutch oven, add the olive oil, peppers and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
  • Add the ground beef. Cook, break up the meat, until no longer pink.
  • Add the beans, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  • If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, transfer the bean mixture to a 9×13-inch baking pan.
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Stir the beans halfway through.
If you make this recipe I'd love to hear in the comments!
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