Leftover Baked Beans

Last week I was speaking with a friend about our plans for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Our weekend plans vary greatly. She is planning a busy family weekend and I am planning a quiet catch up weekend. Although our time will be spent differently, both of our grilling menus, however, were very similar. Both of our menus will feature baked beans. The baked bean talk evolved into how it is virtually impossible to make a small pot of beans, especially with large bean pots. We both are lucky to have beautiful bean pots that have been passed down to us. Bean pots that we both love to pull out the cabinet and take a trip down our ancestry path. I commented that a baked bean pot is like having a pot of gold. “A pot of gold?” she asked. “Yes,” I said, “for there are always leftovers!”

Here are some of my go-to recipes and ideas for leftover baked beans. The first, leftover baked bean gazpacho, is one of my favorites. Why? It only takes 5 minutes and there’s no need to turn on the stove.

Put On Your TO COOK IS TO CREATE Thinking Cap: No red wine vinegar? Use sherry vinegar. Want to up the veggie count? Add zucchini or corn. Have a non-alcoholic bloody mary mix or favorite tomato cocktail? Use it instead of the tomatoes or to replace the beef broth. Like it spicy? Add a can of tomatoes and green chilies. Cilantro lover? Add some. Want some more toppings? Try crushed tortilla chips, salsa, sliced jalapenos, sliced hard-boiled egg, greek yogurt, croutons, diced purple onions, shredded cabbage. No beef stock? Use water. If your baked beans have ground beef or pork in it, combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat for twenty minutes for a hot hearty soup or puree then heat. Still have some leftover baked beans? Check out these other ideas.

Here are 10 USES FOR LEFTOVER BAKED BEANS that I presented in my August 2018 TV Morning Show

1. Mash and make bean burgers.
2. Add queso cheese and jalapeño slices. Heat until melted for a spicy bean dip:
3. Use as a topping in your favorite meatloaf recipe or as a chili starter.
4. Brown ground beef (or use crumbled leftover hamburgers). Mix in baked beans until warm. Put mixture on toasted buns for Sloppy-Joes
5. Mix into macaroni and cheese.
6. Use as filling for burritos, especially breakfast burritos, or make tacos: Put beans into skillet. Add taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water (or beer). Bring to boil. Simmer until thickened.
7. Stir salsa into baked beans for a nacho or taco salad topping.
8. Add to baked potatoes. Top with bacon and cheese.

9. Bean Salad: Make like a potato salad. Mix chopped celery and onion, mayo, mustard, pickle relish, and chopped hard-boiled eggs into baked beans. (If beans are thin, simply mash some before adding ingredients). Best served cold between 2 slices white bread-yes, this is an old-time leftover trick from my MeMaw, or stuffed in a tomato.

10. Tex-Mex Pasta: Sauté 1 chopped onion in a skillet. Add 1 can chopped tomatoes, can of corn, any leftover sausage, 1 cup baked beans, 1 TBSP chili powder. Cook  over med heat for 15 minutes. Mix into hot pasta. Top with cheddar cheese.

BONUS RECIPE: LEFTOVER BAKED BEAN BALLS-A fun one for the kids to assemble. Begin with cold leftover beans. If too thin, mash beans or add an avocado into the beans. With moistened hands, roll bean mixture into balls. Stuff cubes of cheese, a slice of leftover grilled hot dog or sausage inside, or leave plain. Roll balls into crushed tortilla chips or Doritos (a mini food processor works great for this job.) Chill for 1/2 hour to set. Spray each well of a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray. Place ball into well. Spray top side of each ball. Bake at 375* for 10 minutes. Using a spoon, flip each ball. Bake an additional 10 minutes. If you prefer, the baked bean balls can also be deep-fried. Serve with a side of BBQ sauce or ranch dressing.

FOOD FUN: A little known fact about myself, I am a bubble gum fanatic. I love searching out old and new gum. I even have my own gum rating scale based on flavor: intensity and longevity, and on bubble factor: size, ease, and elasticity. One of my favorites, especially when blogging, (I’m always chewing gum when typing) is Bazooka. Not only does it rate high on my scale, I’m a sucker for the freebie joke, game, or quiz. Imagine my surprise, when sitting to type this post about leftover baked beans, I opened my Bazooka to find this:

I know, I couldn’t believe it either!!! But how about that for a little food fun? Obviously, this Baked Bean post was meant to be!