Cowboy Beans for the Crock Pot

I found a version of this recipe on the Internet's rec.food.recipes newsgroup in 1998 and saved it for future reference. I'm a sucker for anything that says "cowboy" on it, you know. It still looks wonderful, so I'm sharing it with you now. I asked the person who posted it for permission to use her name as the author, but she says she got it from a a little cookbook created by her co-workers. She gave me the real author's name, but without her permission, I can't use it. (But if your name is Mary Cook and you put this recipe into an office cookbook several years ago, we all thank you.)

• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
• 1 15-ounce can butter beans
• 1 15-ounce can pork and beans
• 1 15-ounce can navy beans
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 cup catsup
• brown sugar to taste
• 1/2 cup bottled French dressing

The original author said she usually uses the canned beans listed above, but it works just as well if you substitute any style of canned beans or add more bean varieties to make it a larger dish. Mix all together and pour into a crock pot. Brown the pork sausage in a pan; add chopped onion, minced garlic, and add to bean mixture.

Add mustard, catsup, brown sugar to taste, and French dressing to the bean meat mixture. Season to taste with some dried parsley if desired. Any spices can be added to adjust to your individual taste preferences. That's what makes this bean dish unique. You may add a little barbecue sauce to the mixture, if desired. If the bean mixture is too thick, thin it with some more sauce. She said she usually cooks it in the crock pot on low for a couple of hours before serving the dish, because all the ingredients are already cooked and only need to be warmed up, although longer cooking together will combine the flavors better. You can also bake it in the oven, if desired, rather than using the crock pot.

Copyright © 2001 Richard Mann. All rights reserved. Please contact the author for permission to use this article (includes reprints in mailing lists, newsletters, and/or any other purpose/format) and give details of its proposed use. Any and all use of this article in any way without permission is prohibited under copyright law. Acceptable use: Please feel free to link to this page.