"Newlywed" Beef and Bean Skillet

Sharing is caring!

This simple, favorite dish has stood the test of (a very long) time.

Why did I call it "Newlywed" Beef and Bean Skillet? Well, two reasons. It has more of a ring to it than "hamburger and beans" does and we ate a LOT of it when we were newlyweds. Why? Two reasons. My farm boy had a very limited range of foods he liked for one thing. After all it was the 70's and long before food was an adventure, cooking was cool and chefs were iconic.

Why else? It was cheap and easy to make! The year we were married a pound of hamburger was under a buck and two cans of pork and beans set me back 39 cents! But I also made $90 a week working 40 hours at the phone company!

Back then we scooped it over a slice of bread with an American cheese single on top and ate it with a whole lot of potato chips! Who cared? We were cute and skinny back then! Love the professional wedding picture?

Forty nine years later, this dish is still in our menu rotation. From time to time we just get a hankering for a plateful of that good old familiar flavor!

You probably have everything you need in your cupboard right now! Go make some tonight!

As with all marriages and old favorites, recipes evolve with us over the years. You might want to saute some actual onions and peppers and add them. How about some bacon? Or maybe if you like more heat, some chili powder or barbecue sauce.

Speaking of evolving, here we are today! Next year we'll celebrate 50 years and today we mostly go by "GB and Papa", not Steve and Betty. We don't put it on bread anymore. These days we serve it with fruit and veggies but Papa still has to have his chips!! Some things, thankfully, never change!

Newlywed Beef and Bean Skillet

Tasty, simple main dish using ingredients you probably have on hand.

• 1 pound ground beef, browned and broken up
• 2 cans pork and beans, drained
• 1 tsp seasoned salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, or to taste
• 1/3 cup ketchup, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp mustard, or to taste
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp instant minced onion, or to taste

1. Brown ground beef, drain excess fat if needed. Add rest of ingredients and simmer 10- 15 minutes.

If you enjoyed this recipe today, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. I’d sure be tickled and ever so grateful, thank you! 

If you haven’t already, check out my Facebook page where I’ll be posting easy, delicious and family-friendly recipes every week!

Sharing is caring!