I first found out about these beans at a fire station Christmas dinner when Leslie, the captain's wife, made a big pan of them.  Everyone went crazy over these beans, and now she has to make them every Christmas my husband's crew works.  I later found a recipe on Pinterest and recently took it to a family fish fry, so now I'm sharing it with you.

These beans are hearty and tasty, and make a ton, so there's plenty to go around.  The only downside is that meat automatically makes a recipe more expensive (what are they feeding these cows, gold?) but it stretches pretty far here, so I could justify it.

Cowboy Beans

adapted from this recipe

makes approx. 4-5 quarts beans

1(28 oz) can (or 2- 15 oz cans) baked beans or pork 'n beans

1 (15 oz) can of butter beans

Preheat your oven to 350.  In a large pot (7 quarts) over medium-high heat, add the onions, pepper, and ground beef.  Cook until beef is browned and onions and peppers are softened. Drain if needed (depends on the fat content of beef). Combine all the above ingredients. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

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