Suburban Homesteading – Frugal Living

Years ago, we were looking for a new church to attend, friends invited us to there’s on a Sunday in summer because they were having a pot luck after the services. Our friends thought it would be a good chance to meet a lot of the congregation.

The spread was huge with lots of homemade dishes, but the one that caught my eye, and my taste buds, was bean casserole the pastor’s wife had made. She called it an Alpine Bean Casserole, which confused me, mainly because there’s nothing “alpine” about beans. Beans don’t grow in alpine conditions and most alpine countries don’t eat a lot of beans. But after I tasted them I didn’t care what she called them, they were wonderful!

Over the year’s this has been my “go to” recipe for any event from beach parties to livestock shows. In fact, I get so many requests for this dish that I wonder if people know I can cook other dishes with as much success. In the words of my dear friend Judy, “we don’t care what else you can cook, just bring the beans”. Well—if you’re going to be known for something I guess your cooking isn’t all that bad.

I’m sure once you try them, you too will agree, they’re pretty darn good. Enjoy!

Alpine Bean Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices bacon, chopped and slightly cooked, but not crispy

4 onions, quartered and sliced thin

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. dry mustard (can use yellow mustard in a pinch)

½ cup vinegar (white or cider)

14 oz. ketchup

1 14-15 ounce can of each (Do not drain)

Lima beans

Butter beans

Kidney Beans

Garbanzo beans

1 28 ounce can of beans in molasses, like S&W or Bushes.  (DO NOT USE beans in tomato sauce, like pork & beans)

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients in a large Dutch oven, stir to combine. Bake at 300 degrees until bubbly and thick, approximately 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally. The longer it cooks the thicker it will become.

You can also use a slow cooker set on low for 8-10 hours or overnight.

NOTES:  This is one of those large crowd recipes that always get rave reviews, perfect for potlucks, picnics or BBQ’s. It’s also a recipe that is hard to mess up. I have made it without cooking the bacon, used yellow mustard instead of dry, all kinds of vinegar (except Balsamic) and even added browned ground beef, and it turns out great every time.