Bygbaby Cooks: Spicy Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are my FAVORITE beans!!! Growing up beans were a constant in my diet and I grew to hate them. All beans. Pinto beans, lima beans, navy beans, baked beans, kidney beans, pork & beans…. YUCK….

A few years a go, I opened myself back up to beans and enjoy differently from how my momma prepared them, which usually involved a nasty looking ham hock bobbing up and down in a steaming pot. I think I just had a real bad flashback.

The other day, I made a pot of pinto beans and called my momma to brag. She was like, OK, baby.

Ingredients:

– 1lb Dried Pinto Beans
– 1lb Fresh Chorizo (Mexican sausage)
– 1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
– 1 Jalapeño (seeded and diced)
– 1/2 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
– 4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
– 1 Tsp Cumin
– Sea Salt
– Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
– 6 Cups Chicken Stock (Homemade or store-bought (if you’re basic))
– 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

The Jump Off:

Soak your dried beans in water over night. Be sure to cover the beans fully. After soaking, drain and rinse your beans. You will notice they have softened a bit. Go through the beans and check for small rocks. Set beans aside to continue your prep.

In a large heated pot (medium heat), add your olive oil & toss in your chorizo. Stir and break up the chorizo as it browns for about 3-5 minutes. The toss your veggies in and cook until the onions become translucent.

Toss your beans into the browned chorizo and veggies and stir to coat the beans then add your chicken stock in. The six cups should cover all of the ingredients fully.

Add your cumin and bring the pot to a good boil, which should take about 5-8 minutes. Once you have a boil, bring the heat down a bit and cover the pot for an hour making sure to stir occasionally.

After an hour, uncover your pot and let the beans cook for another thirty minutes to thicken the beans a bit. Salt & pepper to taste.

I garnished my beans with fresh scallions and served them with yellow rice and an avocado salad…