Hales Corners Style Bean Mush

Bean Mush, Hales Corners Style

You can search the internet for Calico Beans or Four Bean Casserole and get a million versions of the same idea.

1 pound bacon (you can use less, from a few slices up to the full amount)

3 pounds ground meat (you can use less, from 1-3 pounds)

[Nancy prefers ground turkey, most recipes call for ground beef]

1 onion, chopped

1 can pork & beans

3 cans beans, drained (kidney, great northern, butter, pinto, etc.)

[I try to use 3 different kinds but it is whatever beans you have/prefer]

1 squirt yellow/brown mustard

1 squirt ketchup

2T brown sugar (I have toned down the sweet a lot from years ago)

Broth (amount varies)

Using a very large pot:

Fry bacon until crisp. Reserve grease. Drain bacon on paper towels.

Fry onion in bacon grease until translucent.

Add ground meat to onion, fry until meat is browned. Drain grease.

Add beans, mustard, ketchup, sugar.  Add crumbled bacon. 

Add enough broth to get the consistency you want, soup to stew.

[Leftovers will thicken quite a bit when refrigerated]

Heat through.

Additional notes:

If I have time, I put the finished product into a very large casserole dish and bake it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Or, sometimes if timing requires, I make it earlier in the day and put it into the slow cooker so that it is hot at supper time.

In my opinion, this is one of those recipes that gets better as the flavors meld.

Very good served with scratch biscuits.