Tags: Weekday Meals
Let me first start off by saying I absolutely despise beans…always have. I don’t like beans by themselves, in soups, in salads or in burritos. I don’t like pinto, black, split, kidney or garbanzo beans. I am NOT a bean fan. I’m sure you’re super excited to read on for my pinto bean recipe now, huh?
Unfortunately for me, Adrian is a HUGE bean fan. What are the chances?! Wanting to be a sweet wife I wanted to learn a bean recipe that he would love and one that I might be onboard with. Pinto beans were the obvious choice. It seemed to me that the pinto bean could be manipulated into a pretty universal bean.
I played with a few different aromatics and finally settled on a pretty basic combination of flavors. The result was actually delicious…and that’s high praise coming from me, the bean hater.
Try this recipe along side your favorite Mexican dish, mixed with rice and kielbasa, in a southwest style salad or just in a bowl with your favorite biscuit or cornbread recipe.
BASIC PINTO BEAN
- 1 lb pinto beans, rinsed and soaked in water overnight
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt to taste
Put beans in a Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed stock pot. Cover with water and add onion, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer with lid ajar. Cook 3-4 hours, adding salt after an hour of cooking.
*NOTE: Beans, like potatoes, require a LOT of salt so don’t be alarmed by the amount of salt you end up adding. Just add it slow and taste as you go.
