Frugal Recipe: Pot of Beans Dinner

This is one of my favorite frugal cold weather recipes. I came up with this meal a few years ago from items I usually have on hand in my pantry. I stock up on the beans, sauce, and diced tomatoes when they are on sale and this turns out to be a very inexpensive meal. It is fast to prepare and you only dirty one pot to make it. It feeds my family of 2 adults and 2 kids with enough left over my lunch the next day.

Enjoy!


Pot of Beans Dinner
4-6 servings

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1 can kidney beans (15.5 oz), drained & rinsed
1 can black beans (15.5 oz), drained & rinsed
1 can great northern beans or butter beans (15.5 oz), drained & rinsed
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz), partially drained*
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper
shredded cheddar cheese or sour cream (optional)

Cook ground beef and onion in a dutch oven or large pot till ground beef is browned. Drain the grease. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheddar cheese or sour cream). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on medium low for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve as is or with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a spoonful of sour cream.

* To partially drain the tomatoes, I dump out the liquid at the top of the can but I don't squeeze out the liquid from the tomatoes. I find the beans are too watery if I don't remove some of the tomato juice. Also, I prefer to used petite diced tomatoes.