Love these beans as a complement to any Mexican food. They are so flavorful and leftovers are great the next day with eggs if you are lucky enough to have leftovers. I paired my beans with quesadillas but they are great with enchiladas and rice as well. I have suggestions for different chili options and this is mainly a function of how spicy you like your beans. The chipotle in adobo are the spiciest, but they add a nice smoky flavor. If you are wanting a vegetarian version, just eliminate the bacon and use olive oil. You don’t have to presoak your beans but it helps to reduce cooking time. I love to use stock over water as it enhances the flavor.

Served with smoked chicken poblano quesadillas

Serves 6-8 as a side

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans (2 cups)
  • 5-6 cups of chicken stock or water, more if needed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion , finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup diced tomato (I love cherry)
  • 1 jalapeño pepper , seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce , finely chopped (optional, but recommended if you love heat and smoky spice) or your favorite dried Chile works as well (arbol, ancho, gualijo, pasilla)
  • 1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
  • 1 -2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped, reserve a tablespoon of cooking grease

Directions:

Presoak beans according to package directions. I usually do mine overnight or at least 6 hours before to reduce cooking time.

If using bacon, place one tablespoon of bacon grease with a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium stockpot on medium heat and add onion, garlic, jalapeño, chopped tomato, Chipotle (if using) and tomato paste. Cook until mixture is fragrant and onion is translucent. Add dried, pre-soaked beans to the pot and about 5 cups of stock or water (reserve additional liquid for cooking beans if needed). Add your bay leaf and seasonings. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer for about an hour. Test beans to assure doneness, adding additional cooking liquid if needed. They should be tender, but not overly mushy.

Taste and season with salt and pepper, or additional spices if needed and remove the bay leaf before serving.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro, serve with warm tortillas, quesadillas or rice. Enjoy!