Franks and Beans Recipe

This month I have been challenging myself to limit my grocery spending to just $50 a week, which has forced me to start using up items in both my freezer and pantry. We love baked beans, and they are a great source of protein. But then I discovered three hot dogs in the freezer but no rolls. That’s when I decided to a quick skillet franks and beans recipe.

Adding a little meat to recipes instead of serving as an entree allows you to stretch it much further. You still get that delicious flavor but you don’t feel like you are missing out.

Want a great side dish to go with your franks and beans? Check out the video after the recipe.

Over the years I have made my baked beans several different ways. I have made them from scratch starting with dried beans and also used the Grandma Browns brand and baked them in the oven. But I seem to get the best results from good old Bush’s Baked Beans. I usually go with country style or home style but any flavor will do.

I try to stock up on Bush’s when I can find them on sale and sometimes I get lucky and find the 16.5 ounce can on sale for 99 cents each. And of course, generic will work as well if you have a generic brand that you like. I am picky about canned pork and beans but I find that the Wegmans brand is pretty good.

This recipe is very forgiving. In fact, I usually don’t even measure. You can adjust the amounts of the ingredients depending on how sweet you like your baked beans.

Franks and Beans Recipe – Easy Skillet Meal

• 4 slices bacon (reserve bacon grease)
• 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 or 4 hotdogs, sliced into bite size pieces
• 1 can (16.5 ounce) pork and beans
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar (light or dark)
• Dash hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp, remove bacon, crumble and set aside, reserve bacon grease.

Add the green pepper and onion to the bacon grease and saute over medium heat until vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes). Add the hot dogs during the last few minutes and lightly brown.

Stir in remaining ingredients including the reserved bacon and cook until heated through. Recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Frugal dinner idea: Serve these skillet franks and beans with a side of home fries and some applesauce and you could easily feed 4-6 people for around $1.00 per person.

I never could master making home fries until I found this video from Food Wishes.

Chef John Home Fries