This slow cooker 4-ingredient pork and beans pasta is the kind of budget-friendly comfort food my grandfather would have loved. He grew up in hard times, when a big pot of beans stretched to feed a whole family and a little sweetness in the sauce felt like a treat. This recipe leans on simple pantry staples—dried beans, pasta, a can of tomato sauce, and a bit of pork—to make a huge, filling pot that’s savory, a little sweet, and wonderfully sticky and thick. It’s the kind of dish you can toss in the slow cooker in the morning and forget about until dinnertime, and it feels like a warm hug on a cold Midwestern night.
Serve this pork and beans pasta straight from the slow cooker or spread onto a foil-lined baking sheet for that sticky, caramelized top. It’s lovely with a simple green salad or steamed frozen veggies to add something fresh and crisp on the side. A slice of buttered white bread or cornbread is perfect for mopping up the sweet tomato-molasses style sauce. If you’re feeding a crowd, add a bowl of pickles or coleslaw to cut through the richness and a pitcher of iced tea or lemonade to round out the meal.
Slow Cooker Pork and Beans PastaServings: 6-8
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
6 ounces pork (such as salt pork, bacon ends, or ham trimmings), diced very small
1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 pound elbow macaroni
Directions
Rinse the dried navy beans under cool water and pick out any broken beans or debris. No need to soak them for this recipe, though you can if you prefer a softer bean.
Add the rinsed navy beans to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the finely diced pork over the beans, making sure the pieces are small so you get tiny specks of pork throughout the finished pasta.
Pour the can of tomato sauce over the beans and pork. Fill the empty tomato sauce can with water and pour that in as well, then repeat once more for a total of about 2 cans of water. Stir gently to combine. The mixture should look loose and soupy at this point.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the navy beans are very tender and the pork has broken down into small, soft bits. The sauce should be thickened but still loose enough to coat pasta. If it seems too thick before the beans are soft, stir in a little hot water and continue cooking.
About 30 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until just shy of al dente, 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directions, since it will continue to cook in the sauce.
Drain the pasta well and immediately add it to the slow cooker with the beans, pork, and tomato sauce. Stir thoroughly so every elbow is coated and the beans are evenly mixed in. The sauce will look a bit loose at first but will thicken as it sits.
Cover the slow cooker again and cook on LOW for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the pasta is fully tender and the mixture is thick, glossy, and clingy. Stir once or twice to keep anything from sticking to the sides.
For a sticky, caramelized finish like an old-fashioned baked beans casserole, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly grease the foil. Spread the hot pork and beans pasta out in an even layer. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to steam off a little extra moisture and set up into a thick, sweet, brownish tomato sauce that clings to the pasta and beans.
Taste and adjust the seasoning at the table with salt, pepper, or a pinch of sugar if you like a sweeter, more molasses-style flavor. Serve warm, scooping from the baking sheet or straight from the slow cooker for a more rustic family-style meal.
Variations & Tips
If your family likes a sweeter, more molasses-forward flavor like classic baked beans, stir 2 to 4 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of molasses into the tomato sauce before cooking; this keeps the ingredient list simple and still feels true to old pantry cooking. For kids who are picky about beans, lightly mash some of the cooked beans into the sauce before adding the pasta so they blend in more with the texture of the elbows. You can also swap the navy beans for great northern beans or pinto beans if that’s what you have on hand. If you prefer more meat, use up to 8 ounces of pork or add any leftover cooked ham or sausage you need to stretch. To make cleanup easier on a busy weeknight, use a slow cooker liner, then still finish the dish on a foil-lined baking sheet for that sticky, baked edge. For a slightly lighter version, use turkey ham or lean diced pork and serve with extra veggies on the side. Leftovers thicken even more in the fridge and make a great next-day lunch; just splash in a bit of water before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave to loosen the sauce back up.
