A hearty, slow-cooked crock pot hot dish from Bob April — five kinds of beans, browned ground meat, bacon, diced tomatoes, V-8 juice, and a sweet-smoky molasses and brown sugar base. Set it and forget it for 8 hours.
Ingredients
1 lb. ground meat, browned
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can lima beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can navy beans, drained
1 (12 oz.) can tomato paste
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 (15 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
16 oz. V-8 juice
¼ c brown sugar
⅓ c molasses
4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Brown the ground meat in a skillet, drain. Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble.
Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot.
Stir well to combine.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.
Bob April’s recipe — a crowd-sized crock pot dish that practically makes itself.
Bean swaps: Any combination of beans works well here — use what you have on hand. Cannellini, great northern, or chickpeas all work as substitutes.
