You can eat a big bowl of pinto beans just as they are without one blessed thing on top. And you’ll love them. Add a heaping spoonful of jarred salsa or fresh pico de gallo if you feel the need for a little snazz. Or load up that same bowl with color, texture, and flavor (see photo above) for a totally different experience. Because you can or because you want good looking Super Bowl food! We do eat first with our eyes. You could add the beans to a pot of chili or a plate of perky salad or platter of pasta laced with thinly sliced jalapeño. Toss them in a food processor and whirr together a dip. Be like Chipotle and roll up a burrito. Poach your eggs in a cup of them and score about 30 grams of protein. Build up a 7-layer dip. (Remember those?) Refry the bejesus out of a cup or two. Is the sky the limit? It is. Mighty pinto beans, good and gorgeous food, are also ferociously versatile. And did you know my fine state, Colorado, produces a lot of the pinto bean crop, along with Mexico, New Mexico, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Idaho?
I make pinto beans once a month or so for dinner. We eat a big bowl with cornbread and then freeze the rest in small containers to serve with tacos or thaw for a quick weekday lunch. I have little against canned beans and keep them in my cabinet year round —LOVE CHILI!!–but homemade beans are such a major step up. They’re cheaper, too, (about half the price) and less full of the dreaded sodium. I do cook them on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot but the slow cooker might be my favorite method. There’s something about getting things done early and not worrying about them the rest of the day. Something about walking into the house during the day and the sweet fragrance hitting you in the face, letting you know, “Dinner’s coming.” Something about something bubbling away on the countertop while you do whatever it is you want to do. Slow cooker food sort of spells, “freedom” to this cook.
My folks were southerners but I don’t have big memories of pintos at home. Perhaps I was a finicky kid who turned her nose up at a mess of beans. Maybe. I do remember pintos at a neighbor’s house and scarfed them up there; who didn’t eat whatever the neighbor lady cooked? And I have stellar memories of another neighbor, this time after I’d married, who would just bring me a small pot of pinto beans, occasionally with a little onion or ground beef but often plain, just because she loved me. Ruthie Gavitt, I’ve no doubt you’re cooking with the angels by now but I’ll never forget you or your beans.
VEGGIE VERSION?
I’m partial to beans with bacon or ham but if meat’s not your thing or you have none, check out this version of pinto beans:
Vegan Slow-Cooker Pinto Beans/food.com
CHEAP AND NUTRITIOUS!
While dry pinto beans are truly cheap eats at an average of $1.75 per pound (1 # makes 6 cups cooked beans), they also pack a wallop nutritionally. If you lack fiber or protein, try adding a few beans to your daily menu. Here’s the basics on pinto bean nutrition (per cup): Calories: 245. Carbs: 45 grams. Fiber: 15 grams. Protein: 15 grams. Fat: 1 gram. Sodium: 407 mg. (information courtesy of ~healthline.com)
While I’m big on beans in nearly every way and make them often, I’m always in the market to learn more. Recently, best sous and husband Dave gifted me THE BEAN BOOK: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen by Steve Sando. Well worth the $31. price for a hardcover volume, you can also grab a really inexpensive Kindle version. Lots of pertinent information along with pages of recipes and stunning photos in a 287p hardback. I’m eating it up :/
If you’ve never cooked dry beans before — or even if you have– you’re in for a real treat when you try this:
Easy Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 strips thick bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 large and plump cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 1- pound (16 ounces) dry pinto beans, rinsed, sorted, and picked over—soaked overnight or see Cook's Notes below for Quick Soak Directions
- 4 cups (32-ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups (24-ounces) water—or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 2-3 shakes of Tabasco or to taste
- Garnishes as desired: salsa—fresh or jarred; diced white or red onion; diced avocado; tortilla chips; grated cheese; minced jalapeño; pickled onions or jalapeño; diced fresh tomatoes; lime wedges; cilantro
Instructions
- COOK THE BACON AND THEN THE ONIONS: Drizzle the olive oil evenly into a large skillet and warm over medium-high heat for a minute. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring regularly, until cooked but not crispy. Remove bacon to a small bowl and discard about half of the bacon fat, being careful to afterward wipe the side of the skillet if you’ve poured it out. Add half of the diced onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until softened. You’ll use the other half of the onion in a few minutes.
- TO A 6-QT SLOW COOKER, add the cooked bacon and cooked onions along with the remaining raw onions, garlic, soaked pinto beans, chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Stir well. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 8 hours or HIGH for 6 hours or until tender, checking after a few hours to see how the beans are cooking and if they need more liquid (add a cup of water, if too thick) as they need to be quite brothy to cook through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove cover and let rest 15 minutes before serving hot as is with some of the liquid and/or with garnishes, as desired.Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Notes
DO I REALLY HAVE TO SOAK BEANS? The jury is decidedly out on this one. I’ll tell you that, in a pinch, you can of course cook unsoaked beans; they’ll just take longer to become tender–especially if they’re over a year old. Some folks say soaking helps prevent tummy distress; others say garlic and/or ginger helps with that malady. Eat beans often and you’ll not have much of a problem is the accepted line. There are cooks who think beans soaked overnight begin to ferment and, if you leave them a little long, you may see bubbles in that soaking water that make you wonder. Overall, I’m most fond of the quick soak method described in the Cook’s Notes of the above recipe but you’ll need an extra hour for that.
WANT A THICKER POT OF BEANS? Slow cookers are great at conserving liquid and while I adore brothy beans, maybe you want a thicker product? When the beans are tender, remove 1-2 cups or so and purée or mash them before adding back into the pot. Try to avoid puréeing the bacon.
HOW TO STRETCH A POUND OF BEANS: Need to feed a few more people tonight? Serve your beans, with their liquid, over a big scoop of seasoned rice. In fact, if you add butter, salt and pepper to the rice, you’ll be glad you did. You can stir in a big can of chopped tomatoes or tomato purée or add broth and other vegetables to make a soup. As always, #justaddcornbread.
HOW TO USE BEANS TO STRETCH GROUND MEAT: Mash beans and use half beans, half ground beef or turkey mixed well together for burgers, tacos, and so on. You will save money but you’ll also add nutrition.
New to Slow Cooking or need tips?: 6 Slow Cooker Tips for Easy Weeknight Meals
Everyone’s slow cooker is a bit different, some cooking much hotter than others. Newer slow cooker sometimes recommend beginning a recipe on high and then switching to low. If you can, stay home and keep an eye on your food in the pot the first time you make a slow cooker recipe and see what adjustments need to be made. Even though I live at altitude, I find the recipes I try are often done early. My favorite slow cooker cookbook is ATK’s SLOW COOKER REVOLUTION. I also enjoy the slow cooker recipes from the New York Times, especially those by Sarah DiGregorio.
*STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS: Cover 1# pinto beans with water and soak overnight OR add beans in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil 2 minutes. Turn off. Cover and let sit at least an hour. Drain. Add water to cover plus 3-4 inches. Stir in bacon and onion; add 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Season with a few drops of Tabasco. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover. Let simmer until beans are tender–1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring and checking occasionally to see if more water is needed. Turn off heat and set aside until needed. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot garnished with salsa or other toppings as desired. If you have no time to cook beans, fry up some chopped bacon with onions in a skillet and add a can or two of drained and rinsed pintos. Season to taste.
EASY CORN MUFFINS? COMING RIGHT UP!!
CHECK OUT OTHER PINTO FAVORITES ON MORE TIME AT THE TABLE:
Easy Chicken Enchiladas with Instant Pot Bacon Pintos, Abuelita’s Rice, and Avocado Salad
Grilled Tuna and Pickled Onions on Bacon Pintos with Grilled Salad
above: There’s no post or recipe for this; I share things like this on social media. Just heat the beans to bubbly, crack in the eggs/season them, turn to low and cover until the eggs are done to your liking. Garnish with salsa or not.
“How to Turn 1 Pot of pintos into 5 Meals”/Camellia Brand1
If you liked this, you might also like Ham and Beans, another easy and filling slow cooker meal. This particular recipe makes 12 servings and would be great for the Super Bowl.
Or maybe black beans?
Slow Cooker Basic Black Beans: INGREDIENTS: 1 lb black beans (unsoaked), washed/picked over; 2 quarts water; sm. onion cut in half, 3 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon each ground black pepper and crushed red pepper; a few springs of cilantro (optional), and a quick drizzle of olive oil. DIRECTIONS: Stir together ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for about 6 hours at altitude or until tender. (May be less at sea level.) Taste and adjust seasonings. Want to make my Slow Cooker Black Beans with Chorizo and Ham?
LIFE GOES ON:
I received a Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for Christmas. I had long admired this oven but fussed about my lack of space, which is still a problem. My main reason for acquiring a small, countertop oven was to be able to bake in the summer when my Blue Star gas oven is just too hot to use most days. And, while I haven’t actually baked anything, I’ve used the Air Fryer function several times and been quite pleased. So much room in it compared to my old 6-qt air fryer. Next up? Slow Cooking in a 5-qt. Dutch Oven!!
Below: I air fried the fish for fish tacos (and there are our pintos!!) — 1.5 pounds — in 10 minutes. No oil. Lovely!! (Fish? I used rockfish I bought from COSTCO. It comes in a large package that I divvy out into 1 – 1.5# parcels.)
While our country continues to struggle mightily and the world, in turn, shakes, I am still in decided but uneasy hope that we will somehow become united and, in particular, immediately stop the horrific, murderous situation in Minnesota, my adopted home state.
Cook on, friends; make American bake again, and pray for peace everywhere—
Alyce
Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words "division", "hatred" and "war" be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother", and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam!
Amen.
~last paragraph of Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace