Beans were a staple side dish (and even a main dish sometimes) growing up in my house. My mom will always remind me to this day that my favorite food as a little kid was bean tacos. We’d pick them up from our neighborhood Mexican restaurant, Jalisco’s. Just refried beans and flour tortillas… so simple yet so delicious. Whether it be black beans, kidney beans, baked beans, ranch style beans or pinto beans…I’ve loved them my whole life and I’m always thinking of new ways to serve them.
These beans are basically a “throw everything in a pot and let it cook” kind of beans. The recipe is pretty straightforward and by the time they are ready they are so flavorful. I use a dark Mexican beer to add a savory element. I cook down the beer along with onions, sausage and peppers. I add the pinto beans, some hot rotel and a handful of spices. The broth alone brings such a bold punch of flavor. YUM.
What to serve with?
You can go in any direction when serving these beans. They are wonderful alongside enchiladas or tacos. Or can even be served with grilled chicken or beef. You can make a burrito bowl or just eat them plain with some saffron rice (pictured below).
Here are some of my favorite dishes to pair them with:
CHIPOTLE PORK TACOS WITH BLACK BEAN PURÉE & PICKLED ONIONS
SHREDDED BEEF ENCHILADAS SMOTHERED IN CHILI GRAVY
SPICED PINTO BEANS WITH PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Serves: about 4-5 cups beans
INGREDIENTS:
- 16 oz chourico sausage, chopped into small half inch chunks
- 3 – 16 oz. cans pinto beans
- 1/2 white onion, small dice
- 1 serrano chili, small dice
- 1 tbsp bacon fat
- 10 oz. can hot rotel
- 1 cup dark Mexican beer (like Modelo Negra)
- 32 oz. (4 cups) water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste
- Cilantro for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat a large pot to medium heat. Add in sausage, bacon fat, onion and serrano chili. Sauté for about 10 minutes until onions are tender and the sausage is cooked and edges are slightly crisp.
- Add in the dark beer and cook on medium high heat till beer has almost evaporated (about 8-10 minutes).
- Add in beans, rotel, water and spices. Cook on medium high heat while bringing to a soft boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to simmer and cover with a lid.
- Cook beans for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve hot with cilantro and saffron rice.