Hearty Baked Beans

This is a meal in one and absolutely wonderful.  I served it with sweet corn and mashed potatoes.  Not that it needed all of that, but I was hungry for mashed potatoes and my husband was hungry for sweet corn, so I fixed it all and had a lot of leftovers.  All it really needed was some cornbread for a side.

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
•  1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• 2 (16-oz.) cans pork and beans
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (We like Bulls Eye)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish (or anything comparable to that) with cooking spray.

In large saucepan, brown ground beef, onion and bell pepper.  Add rest of ingredients except bacon.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer mixture to the casserole dish.  Crumble bacon over the top.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue for bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Let casserole sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 12.

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