Dad Approved Crockpot Baked Beans Ground Sausage
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My dad-approved crockpot baked beans with ground sausage is so good! My mom has been on a crockpot kick lately, and last week she whipped up a batch that totally stole the show. They’re hearty, cozy, and perfect for those “let’s treat ourselves” dinners (we make them maybe once a month).
Think of it like this, baked beans meets comfort food with just enough sweet-and-savory to keep everyone happy!
What makes this version extra special? It’s diabetic-friendly.
My dad’s blood sugar stayed steady thanks to a simple swap of less brown sugar and a drizzle of sugar-free Vermont maple syrup.
Honestly, I was shocked (in the best way). It’s proof you can make real-deal comfort food that still fits into a balanced, mindful way of eating.
Low Sugar Crockpot Baked Beans With Bacon
We cheated and used microwaveable bacon. You know, the no mess kind that cooks in a bag in 3 minutes?
I love that bacon but if you are old school and want the fat, greasy mess, then by all means, cook the bacon in a skillet.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that kind of bacon too but I don’t like the fat and mess.
Ground Sausage & Ground Beef
In our house, baked beans or casseroles are always a bigger hit when there’s ground beef or sausage involved.
This time, my mom had ground sausage in the fridge, so she swapped it in for beef and honestly, it made the whole dish even more flavorful.
The original recipe from a three year old Casseroles and Slow Cooker magazine called for 1 cup ground beef, 1/3 cup molasses and 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar.
If you are not interested in the low sugar version we shared, simply omit the syrup, and add sugar and molasses.
Dad Approved Crockpot Baked Beans with Sausage
Supply List
- 1 lb dried great northern beans
- 1/2 lb thick bacon slices chopped we cheated and used microwavable back / no mess!
- 2 large onions chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced we used 3 small spoonfuls of jarred minced garlic to save time
- 2 cups Heinz No Sugar added ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar free maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 cup ground sausage
Instructions : Step by Step
- Sort beans and rinse with cold water, cover beans with water (about 2 inches) in dutch oven/pot on stove and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 1 hour until beans are soft. Drain and rinse beans. Then repeat boiling process. Add drained beans back to the dutch oven, add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and let sit for an hour until beans are tender.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon and once cooked, place on paper towels reserving 2 tsp of drippings. (If you buy the microwave bacon, skip this step and proceed to sauteing onion.)
- Add 1 tsp olive oil to skillet and saute onion until tender.
- Add garlic, cook one minute longer
- Stir in ketchup, brown sugar, syrup, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper (1/3 cup molasses optional)
- Drain beans reserving 1 – 2 cups cooking liquid.
- Add all ingredients to crockpot stirring gently.
- Add desired amount of cooking liquid based on thickness preference. My mom used 1 cup reserved cooking liquid
- Cook on low in crockpot for 3.5 – 4 hours stirring occasionally
Tips
Related: 18 One-Pot Winter Dinner Recipes
Don’t be scared of the 2 hour prep time! It’s just the beans boiling and sitting for an hour. It’s not hard labor prep work! -ha
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