BBQ Bean Sliders

Hindsight is 20/20. As I sat there hungrily devouring one of these BBQ Bean Sliders, beans were falling out of the bun nonstop and BBQ sauce was getting all over my hands and face. That’s when it hit me—this would have been much better as a wrap sandwich. Stuff the beans and slaw into a tortilla where it will be wrapped tightly for clean delivery into your mouth. Either way, this probably isn’t a good thing to cook for a first date. Or maybe even the second or third date.

But it is a good thing to cook when you are craving BBQ and you don’t feel like cooking an entire pork shoulder. I mean, I love pulled pork and all, probably even more than I should, but sometimes it’s just not convenient. What is convenient? Opening up a couple cans of beans, adding some BBQ sauce, and whipping up a quick slaw. BBQ craving fixed.

If you’re a vegetarian, be sure to check the label of your favorite BBQ sauce, because you never know if they might have added some worcestershire sauce in there. If you’re not concerned about vegetarianism, adding worcestershire sauce to your beans will give an extra umami oomph.

My slaw is a little unconventional, but I think it worked here. Green onions and Dijon mustard make the slaw a little more savory, which balances nicely with the sweet BBQ sauced beans. NOM. Or, you know, use your grandma’s recipe that you love so much and have grown up with. ;)

BBQ Bean Sliders

4.96 from 22 votes

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BBQ Bean Sliders

These BBQ Bean Sliders topped with a savory slaw are a quick vegetarian fix for when you're craving BBQ.

Total Cost $7.42 recipe / $1.86 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

FOR THE BEANS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 1 small yellow onion $0.47
• 1 clove garlic $0.08
• 15 oz can black beans $1.12
• 15 oz can pinto beans $1.08
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce $0.54
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional) $0.05
• 4 large buns $1.99

FOR THE SLAW

• 1/2-14 oz bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage) $0.95
• 3 whole green onions, sliced $0.35
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise $0.44
• 1/2 Tbsp honey $0.06
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard $0.06
• 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
• 1 tsp red wine or apple cider vinegar $0.02
• Freshly cracked pepper $0.03

Instructions

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook the onion and garlic with the olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Rinse and drain the pinto and black beans in a colander. Add the drained beans, BBQ sauce, and smoked paprika to the sauce pot with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine and then cook over medium-low heat until warmed through (stir occasionally).
3. While the beans and BBQ sauce are heating, prepare the slaw. Add the cabbage coleslaw mix to a large bowl. Slice the green onions and add them to the bowl with the cabbage.
4. In a separate small bowl, make the dressing for the slaw. Stir together the mayonnaise, honey, Dijon, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add the dressing to the bowl with the slaw mix and green onions, then stir to combine.
5. To make the sliders, add a heaping 1/2 cup of BBQ beans to each bun, then top with 1/2 cup of the slaw. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This would make an awesome (and easier to eat) wrap sandwich. Simply wrap the beans and slaw up in a large tortilla and enjoy!

Step by Step Photos

First, sauté the diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent. If you don’t want chunks of onion, you can grate the onion on a large cheese grater to make smaller pieces.

Rinse and drain the two cans of beans to get all the gunk off. A colander makes this job super easy.

Add the drained beans, BBQ sauce, and smoked paprika to the pot and heat through over medium-low heat. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. You could add all sorts of things here like garlic powder, chipotle peppers, freshly cracked pepper, cayenne, or worcestershire (but that’s not vegetarian).

I bought this coleslaw mix because had I bought a head of cabbage and some carrots, I’d have WAY more than I needed. So, in this case I opted for the smaller package at a slightly higher price to avoid waste. If you know you can come up with uses for the rest of your cabbage, by all means, buy fresh and just chop it yourself :)  I use half of this 14 oz. package and still have to come up with ideas for the leftovers!

Add half of that bag of coleslaw mix to a large bowl. Slice the green onions (white and green portions) and add them to the bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Dijon, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the bowl with the slaw mix and…

Mix it all together until everything is coated. This made about 2-2.5 cups of slaw.

And then just pile it all on a bun! Or a tortilla… because not only would that be easier to eat, but it would also be a LOT less expensive. Tortillas>buns. Lesson learned.