CROCK*POT Pinto Beans

This morning I savored the smell of Autumn.  It was crisp and wonderful!

Our momma taught us how to make food stretch.  How to make wonderful meals with sometimes very little and for that, I am so thankful.  Dried beans were plentiful and fairly inexpensive...so we had lots of beans in chili, soups, tacos and the list goes on.  Maybe it was because cans of beans were not available?  HMMM?  I will need to ask...

Purchasing individual cans of beans is fine in a crunch, but considering how easy peasy this is and how good they are for you without any added preservatives...YOU just can't beat having your trustly CROCK*POT do your work for you.

I have little patience for meals that take a lot of prep and steps.  It has to be reallllllly good to make up for the effort put forth.  This is the best of both worlds...you skip the steps of soaking, draining, rinsing again, boiling, reducing the heat and then, and only then letting it simmer for a couple of hours.  Here, you have the amazing taste without the effort.  A win win situation!

Anyhoo, I have been wanting{dreaming of} a pressure cooker for years, but in keeping with using what we have, and using the appliances we do have, I have been making our big ol' batch o' beans very successfully in the crock*pot!  That also means one less thing to clutter our home!

The best thing to do is to cook them right before you go to bed at night, so that you can deal with them in the morning.

CROCK*POT PINTO BEANS

3 pounds of dried pinto beans

12 cups of water

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder {Winco bulk section}


*Wash and sort beans to make sure they don't taste like dirt.  :}

*Place beans, water, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and chipotle into your CROCK*POT.  Water should more than cover your beans as they will absorb the water and expand.

Turn your CROCK*POT onto high and cook for 6-8 hours.  Add more water if beans get a bit dry.  Beans should be super tender.
Remove insert from your CROCK*POT and allow to cool.

Once the beans are cooled a bit, use a 1 cup measuring cup for easy dispensing.  This is not exact by any means...just a general guideline.  :}

What is helpful for our family is to freeze them in different size freezer containers.  They are labeled with the amount so that it is easy to figure out what is needed for a recipe.  I usually freeze in 1 cup, 3 cup and 4 cup containers.  That allows for plenty of mixing and matching for whatever need arises.

I enjoy labeling them!

Leftover scrap paper works GREAT!
People with beautiful handwriting can use a SHARPIE, but for those of us who can't read our own handwriting...there are stamps and fun computer fonts.

VARIATION:  Kidney beans, black beans, white beans can also be used or mixed together for a pop of different colors!


Now, what will you do with all your beans?

Will you make a large pot of chili and invite guests?

Will you freeze them for soups?

What OH.WHAT. will you do?

Shared with:  Comfy in the kitchen, Stone Gable