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How to cook flavorful healthy vegan Mexican Pinto Beans using dry beans! A Simple easy recipe that can be made on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. A delicious addition to your Mexican Feast, or weekly meal prep. It can be made ahead!  Allow 6 hours of soaking time.  #pintobeans

Pinto Beans Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 22 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 60
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
  • Category: pinto beans
  • Method: stove top, instant pot
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

How to cook flavorful healthy vegan Mexican Pinto Beans using dry beans! A Simple easy recipe that can be made on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. A delicious addition to your Mexican Feast, or weekly meal prep. It can be made ahead!  Allow 6 hours of soaking time.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 lb dry pinto beans (2 1/2 cups dry), soaked 6-12 hours, then drained
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ——-
  • 12 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 1 dry Mexican Guajillo Chile (optional, see notes), seeds removed, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coriander
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves (optional)
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)

 


Instructions

  1. Place pinto beans in a med bowl, and cover with 2-3 inches of water.  Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and let soak overnight – or for a minimum of 8-12 hours. Drain.
  2. After soaking: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until tender and fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Add the dried chili, cinnamon stick and all the spices. Saute one minute to toast the spices. Add the water, tomato paste and DRAINED beans. Stir in the 1/2 salt and bring to a rapid boil.
  3. Lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer (on low or medium-low) and simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes until beans are tender.
  4. Stir in the tablespoon of Chipotle Adobo Sauce and the vinegar.
  5. Taste, adjusting salt if needed.

Notes

Feel free to substitute 1-2 canned chipotle peppers (chopped) instead of the dried Mexican chili. Or leave out both for a milder version. Or experiment with other dried Mexican chilies taking not of heat level. One Guajillo chili makes this MEDIUM SPICY.  

Using the Adobo sauce from the Canned Chipotle Peppers really elevates and adds a lovely smokiness to the whole dish. Freeze the leftover chipotle chilies (individually) for later use!

You could also use a little smoked paprika for the smoky flavor without the spiciness.

INSTANT POT: Cook according to above, using the saute function for sauteeing. Reduce water to 3 cups. Pressure cook the soaked pinto beans on high for 15 minutes, naturally release. If you’d like to reduce liquid further, cook on saute function for a few minutes until it thickens up.

HAM HOCK: Feel free to add a smoked ham hock to the top of the simmering beans. After it’s tender, shred the meat and stir into the beans.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 129
  • Sugar: 2.5 g
  • Sodium: 461.1 mg
  • Fat: 2.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21.6 g
  • Fiber: 6.9 g
  • Protein: 6.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg