Fast Low-Cost Pinto Beans with a Mexican Twist
Easy to Make Healthy Dinner that will Feed the Whole Family
Nov 7, 2009
These beans keep well in a refrigerator and can be reheated in a microwave in just two minutes. The great thing about pinto beans is they actually taste better a day or two after being cooked! These are some leftovers that the whole family will actually enjoy eating!
Pinto Beans with a Mexican Twist
Ingredients
For the beans:
- Dried Pinto Beans - 1 or 2 pounds depending on planned number of meals and people eating
- Garlic - a heaping teaspoon per pound of beans
- Optional: Bacon - 2-3 strips
For the topping:
- Fresh Tomatoes - 2 beefsteak (more for more salsa)
- Fresh Cilantro - a ¼ chopped fine
- Garlic - another heaping teaspoon
- Cheddar Cheese - 16 oz.
Cooking the beans:
- Rinse the pinto beans and check for dirt, rotten beans, and rocks. Put them in a large soup pot and cover with water. The water should rise an inch over the beans.
- Heat on medium. While heating add: chopped garlic, (optional) chopped strips of bacon, and any spices to taste. The beans will be fine without any, but for extra flavor try basil, coriander, paprika, oregano, or chili pepper. A dash of honey will also add some flavor.
- Experiment with different spices and amounts.
- Keep the beans at a simmer for about two hours. When the water thickens and the beans have all taken on a solid brown take out a spoonful to test. If the beans have any crunch in them, cook for another ten minutes and try again.
- After the beans are cooked turn off the burner and leave them on the stove.
Making the topping:
- Chop the tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and salt to taste, then stir in the cilantro and garlic. For a spicier salsa add peppers or onions. This is a basic salsa. Feel free to add corn, other spices, or anything else on hand.
- Grate around 1/4 cup of cheese for each person eating.
Serving:
Serve the beans in a bowl and let each person eating add their desired amount of salsa and cheese. Stir it all in right before eating. The beans should be hot enough to melt the cheese.
Enjoy!
To have the beans again for another meal, save the salsa in the fridge. When it's time to eat again heat the beans in a bowl for two minutes in a microwave. This should be enough time to grate more cheese. Once again, mix it all together and have another bowl of beans. A pound of beans should be enough to feed three people for two meals.
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