White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce

White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce, a delicious ground beef and navy bean dish from my childhood. Simple to make, this hearty pot of beans will satisfy your hungriest of eaters! Once prepped, White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce simmers until dinner time! 

This bean dish was a favorite of my Dad. 

Growing up we ate very little food on a regular rotation. It seems my folks, my Dad especially, liked to eat a wide variety of different foods at meal time. Living in California made this possible. Living in the Marin County area, made this easy, so many food shops of every kind are open for business. My Dad was a commercial refrigeration repairman. He was often called to the docks in San Francisco and worked on some of the largest refrigeration units in "the city" including many on large fishing and crabbing boats.

Food was everywhere, but homecooked was still the favorite.

Pretty much, food was everywhere, in one form or another. And Dad was in the thick of it, every day. While working on equipment that kept food fresh. More than once, he came home with some special "find" that captured his fancy in a market or deli tucked out of the way. Good food finds are easy, just follow the hungry people and you will find something good to eat. Now so many years later I realize that my Dad was a "foodie" long before the term had been coined. And lucky for him, he had a great cook, in our Mom.

The only problem was, Mom hated beans!

But these beans would show up on somewhat of a regular rotation, maybe two or three times a year. White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce would be on the table for supper. Usually on a Saturday, as these beans do take some time to cook. While they do need 4-5 hours of cooking time, the hands on prep is easy. In all honesty, my Dad could have eaten these much more often, there was only one little problem. Mom hated beans. So we ate beans as little as possible! But my Dad had a solution, often on a Sunday he would make these beans.

When you don't eat a lot of beans, you don't learn to cook beans...

Not surprising that it took me years to learn to cook beans. I thought for the longest time that I didn't even like beans. Hmmm, maybe it was something I had heard growing up? But truthfully I like beans. I simply did not know how to cook them. Once I mastered cooking beans on the stove, I began cooking them in a slow cooker, this also took some time to master. Beans, however, are worth the learning curve...and now many years later you will find many different recipes calling for beans. Now years later, my own husband loves it when I cook beans.

 Great Northern beans were used for this batch, they are equally delicious.

Like many childhood recipes, there was no written recipe to follow...

I have made a small change to how the beans are made. Mom and Dad both used cans of tomato sauce. One eight ounce can did not seem to be enough, yet 2 cans yielded beans with too much tomato flavor. As a kid I noticed that Dad would use a partial second can, and Mom always used the 2 full cans. My small change is to use a can of diced tomatoes and "sauce" them in the blender. I think it provides just the right amount of tomato flavor. This simple dish of ground beef and beans. is homey and comforting. Serve on a soup plate and pass the salt and pepper!

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• white beans
• ground beef
• thyme
• garlic
• canned tomatoes
• salt 
• fresh ground pepper

You will also need:

• Dutch Over or large stockpot with lid
• blender
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• large spoon

Now we are ready to begin!

White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce. 

White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce, 

Our Dad Ken's favorite beans!

adapted from: my childhood memories and information gathered in conversations with my Mom.

UPDATED: 10.06.2023

1 pound of small white beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed. 
1 pound of lean ground beef

1 T thyme
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can ready to use diced tomatoes
water
black pepper (I use about 7 "grinds" on the grinder)
2 t salt

 

Crumble the ground beef into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Add the thyme, garlic, and pepper. Continue to brown until the flavors of each are fragrant. 

Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pan, stir and continue to simmer cooking the brown caramelized juices off the bottom of the pan.

Puree the tomatoes along with 1 can full of water in a blender to make a tomato slurry. 

Add to the ground beef, along with the soaked and drained beans. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pan. Let simmer for 2 hours, stirring at the one-hour mark. 

Add the 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and simmer another 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until beans are tender. If the bean mixture is a bit soupy, turn the heat up and simmer off some of the liquid. Serve. 

Note: It was interesting to take a process that I observed as a kid and turn it into an actual recipe. I hope you enjoy these beans as much as we do. I always think of my dad as I dish up my plate.

Storage options for White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce. The cooked dish will keep very well in the refrigerator for up to four days. This dish freezes perfectly, for a second meal. Place cooked beans into a freezer bag or freezer container with a tight-fitting lid. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat to serve. 

UPDATE:  For your convenience, a "copy and paste" version of White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce has been included below. 

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Printable "copy and paste" version:

White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce, 

Our Dad Ken's favorite beans!

adapted from: my childhood memories and information gathered in conversations with my Mom.

UPDATED: 10.06.2023

1 pound of small white beans, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed. 
1 pound of lean ground beef

1 T thyme
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can ready to use diced tomatoes
water
black pepper (I use about 7 "grinds" on the grinder)
2 t salt

Crumble the ground beef into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Add the thyme, garlic, and pepper. Continue to brown until the flavors of each are fragrant. 

Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pan, stir and continue to simmer cooking the brown caramelized juices off the bottom of the pan.

Puree the tomatoes along with 1 can full of water in a blender to make a tomato slurry. 

Add to the ground beef, along with the soaked and drained beans. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pan. Let simmer for 2 hours, stirring at the one-hour mark. 

Add the 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and simmer another 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until beans are tender. If the bean mixture is a bit soupy, turn the heat up and simmer off some of the liquid. Serve. 

Note: It was interesting to take a process that I observed as a kid and turn it into an actual recipe. I hope you enjoy these beans as much as we do. I always think of my dad as I dish up my plate.

Storage options for White Beans with Ground Beef and Tomato Sauce. The cooked dish will keep very well in the refrigerator for up to four days. This dish freezes perfectly, for a second meal. Place cooked beans into a freezer bag or freezer container with a tight-fitting lid. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat to serve. 

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