| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 6 hr 55 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto beans, rinsed
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Cheddar
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup jarred jalapenos with juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Hot sauce, to taste
- 1/2 cup guacamole
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 6 ounces andouille sausage, diced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon crushed chile flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- For the best basic beans: Cover the beans with cold water to cover by 1 inch, and soak at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Rinse the beans and place them in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Top with the garlic, bacon, bay leaves, onion, salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch, then mix and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then cover the pot halfway (meaning, don’t place the lid tightly on the pot) and cook until the liquid is thick and the beans are tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. (Continue to simmer if it needs more time.)
- Serve topped with grated Cheddar and diced red onion.
- For the Tex-Mex beans: Follow the basic beans recipe above, adding the jalapenos, chili powder and hot sauce with the bacon and other ingredients. Simmer the beans according to the directions above. Serve topped with a dollop each of guacamole, salsa and sour cream.
- For the Cajun beans: Follow the basic beans recipe above, adding the andouille sausage, paprika, chile flakes and thyme with the bacon and other ingredients. Simmer the beans according to the directions above. Serve topped with sliced green onions.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 424 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 43 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 34 mg |
| Sodium | 536 mg |
Reviews
Made the Cajun beans. Excellent flavor slightly spicy. Will try the other variations but definitely a keeper.
Very good and so easy. I did sauté the bacon and onions first. I waited until the end to add the salt. Would be great for a potluck since it makes a lot.
I made this a couple nights ago and was blown away! So much flavor. The only change I would make is cut back a little on the salt. Between the bacon and salt it is a little salty. Other that that, it blew my mind.
Oh my goodness—I didn’t realize beans could be so good! Made the Cajun version. Still have some leftover ham from Easter, so substituted ham for the bacon and sausage. Yummy! Definitely keeping this one file to use again.
This was the first time I’ve made pinto beans from dried beans, and we went with the Tex-Mex version – so perfectly yummy!