26 February 2012

Basic pot of beans can go a long way

A staple in our house. Yummy, filling, and satisfying. And so simple.

Basic Pot of Pinto's

1-5 lb. bag pinto beans
more than enough water to cover
Bring beans to a boil. Turn off heat and cover for one hour. Or, soak overnight in water. If you soak beans overnight just add ingredients after changing water. If you boil, then cover for an hour and then add ingredients.

1 large onion chopped
2 T. crushed garlic
1 lb. bacon (if desired)
Cover with water about 2-3 inches over beans. Either bring to boil and cook on stove or put in dutch oven and bake in oven. Stove top--bring to boil, simmer a few hours until beans are soft. If using a dutch oven bake covered about 3-4 hours on 350. (keep checking water level)

Salt AFTER beans are finished cooking.
Serving--On day one we will eat as a soup with cornbread or homemade bread. Day two add cheddar cheese to beans and maybe some mexican seasoning and serve with sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips. Day 3--add to chili. Day 4-Make homemade tortillas and serve bean burritos. Day 5-serve with rice. Either over it or as a side. Homemade bread will round it out. Remember to only take out of the BIG dish as much as you will use for one meal because the seasoning will be different each day.

3 comments:

Tristan said...

I love doing beans in the crock pot! I don't even have to soak them if we're not eating beans until dinner. Here is my recipe: http://ourbusyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2010/12/crockpot-refried-beans.html Mashing into 'refried' beans is totally optional at the end. Super yummy beans!

ccc said...

Were a big bean family too
I love how you use them all week long in different recipes. Are you vegetarian? I do that with the meat--cook it all at once and then put it into different meals through out the week.

Unknown said...

No, we aren't vegetarian. Just cheap! I love to cook up a bunch of meat too and freeze it to cook up during the school year. Makes meals go so much faster!

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