What is better than a bowl of pinto beans, a fresh corn tortilla and some salsa? Not much beats one of the simplest comfort foods in Mexico. It is a delicious, filling and frugal meal. When my mom was in college she went to Mexico City (DF) with her Spanish class. Near the end of the trip she bought beans from a vendor for each meal. Maybe not what you would want for each meal but she was never hungry. The vendor even gave her a blue speckled tin spoon that’s still in my parent’s camping gear!
You can also use this recipe to make any other type of beans simply swap the pintos for the bean of your choice and leave out the garlic, onion, and jalapeno.
Time saving tip: Make a double batch and freeze the beans in two cup portions. That way when you are in a pinch and you don’t have a lot of time to cook you can pull them out, add them to chilli, refry them, make taco salad or just enjoy them as is.
Simple Crock Pot Mexican Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- Two cups dried pinto beans
- Enough warm water to cover the beans
- 2 TBS acid medium (whey, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
- I combine all three ingredients and let them soak in my crock pot for 12 to 24 hours. (This makes them easier to digest and helps speed up the cooking time a bit.) Once the soaking is finished pour the water off and rinse the beans. Put the beans back in the crock pot and add:
- 6 cups of water
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 jalapeno, stem removed
Instructions
- Cook in your crock pot on high for 4 to 8 hours until the beans are soft.
- Check occasionally as the water may evaporate causing the beans to burn. If necessary add more water. Remove any scum that may rise to the top.
- Add salt to taste. Be sure not to add salt until the beans are completely cooked other wise the cooking process will be stopped and you will be stuck with hard beans.
- This will make approximately eight cups of cooked beans.
Cuisine Mexican
This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday, Hearth and Soul,
I was just wondering if I could freeze beans. I’m going to try this from now on. Great idea!
For sure! Just be sure to let them cool first. DIana has a great tutorial if you are interested: http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2012/01/a-tutorial-how-to-cook-dried-beans-to-freeze/