Corn Dog Casserole

Hot Dogs and Beans is one of our favorite dinners. It's comfort food. It's a quick and easy dinner to throw together. It can also be a cheap meal to throw together when combining sales and coupons.

When I worked, we ate hot dogs and beans almost once a week.  At that time, we were more concerned with convenience than frugality and didn't bother to wait for a BOGO sale on hot dogs.  We just bought them, usually at full price, whenever we wanted a quick dinner. 

I was also a sucker for those little recipe magazines at the check-outs of the supermarket.  For a while, I was buying several of those little books a month.  I guess that was before I realized that a foodie could find a recipe for almost anything on the internet!  It was definitely before Pinterest! 

The recipe I am sharing today, I first found in one of those little magazines.  It's a casserole made of hot dogs and beans, topped with a layer of cornbread.  Mmmm! 

I make it a little different each time I prepare it, depending on the beans I have in the freezer or pantry.  Here's how I made it this week: 

Corn Dog Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 2 cans (16 oz. each) Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans
• 1 can (15.5 oz) Butter Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. dried minced onion
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• Ketchup & Mustard (squirt or two of each)
• 1 package mini hot dogs
• 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, prepared as directed on package

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the beans, dry onion, brown sugar, ketchup and mustard. 
• Mix until well combined.
• Add hot dogs.
• Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
• Transfer to an un-greased 9x9 casserole dish.
• Spread the prepared corn muffin batter evenly over the top of the bean mixture.
• Pop the dish into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Notes:

• You can easily use your favorite homemade baked beans in place of the canned beans in this recipe.  I usually use 6 cups of Our Favorite Baked Beans, but was out of them when I prepared this meal this week. 
• Raw onion also works well in this recipe.  I was in a hurry tonight and didn't feel like dealing with chopping a raw onion, so I used the minced onion from the spice rack in our pantry. 
• I don't always have the mini hot dogs on hand.  I find that regular hot dogs go on sale more often, so that's what I usually use.  Today, I used the mini hot dogs that were in the freezer, but when I don't have them, I simply slice regular hot dogs into bite sized pieces and add them to the bean mixture. 
• This recipe just fits into my 9x9 baking dish.  To avoid a mess in the bottom of the oven if it bubbles over, I placed my baking dish on top of a cookie sheet before popping it into the oven.  My oven is messy enough, I don't want burnt baked beans added to it!  :)

Mmmm!  (I think I already said that!) 

I'll be linking this post to the following blog carnivals and linky parties: 

• Sundae Scoop at I{heart} Nap Time
• Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party!
• Tuesday Time Out Party! at Reasons to Skip the Housework
• Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff