Cowboy Beans Texas Style
Saddle up for a hearty and flavor-packed dish with Cowboy Beans Texas Style, a slow-simmered classic that brings bold, smoky, and sweet-savory flavors to your table. This recipe combines tender pinto beans with crispy bacon, browned ground beef, and a medley of rich ingredients like molasses, chili powder, and smoked paprika, all simmered in a robust tomato-based sauce. Perfect for feeding a crowd, these cowboy beans are a true Texan comfort food, ideal as a standalone meal or a crowd-pleasing side for barbecues and cookouts. With its combination of classic Southern ingredients and a satisfying depth of flavor, this dish is sure to become a family favorite. Garnish with fresh green onions or cilantro for a touch of brightness, and don’t forget an optional splash of hot sauce for a spicy kick!
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Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- 6 slices sliced bacon
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup ketchup
- 0.25 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 14-ounce can canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon optional hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons optional sliced green onions or chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Rinse the dried pinto beans in cool water and pick out any debris or damaged beans.
Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.
In a large pot, cook the bacon slices over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot, crumble it, and set aside. Leave about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pot.
Add the ground beef to the pot and brown it over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Once browned, remove the ground beef and set it aside.
In the same pot, add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Return the cooked ground beef and crumbled bacon to the pot with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine.
Add the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, diced tomatoes (with their juices), beef broth, kosher salt, and black pepper to the pot. Stir well.
Add the soaked and drained pinto beans to the pot and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you prefer a spicier dish, stir in the optional hot sauce.
Serve the Cowboy Beans warm, garnished with sliced green onions or chopped cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
415 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 20.5 g | 26% | |
| Saturated Fat | 7.5 g | 37% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.6 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 50 mg | 17% | |
| Sodium | 951 mg | 41% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 36.0 g | 13% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.8 g | 24% | |
| Total Sugars | 17.1 g | ||
| Protein | 22.1 g | 44% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.4 mcg | 2% | |
| Calcium | 77 mg | 6% | |
| Iron | 3.4 mg | 19% | |
| Potassium | 628 mg | 13% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
