Frijoles Pintos - Pinto Beans

I have been cooking (and burning) beans for years.I've diligently followed my mother's recipe, but if you've been following us for a while, you'll know she doesn't provide us with specific quantities on ingredients. It's usually a little of this, a handful of that, etc. 

So the taste {and texture} of my beans always seems to waver a bit. Never quite as delicious as mom's, or grandma's, of course....

And, then a big percentage of the time I burn them. And if you've ever let a pot of beans burn, you know you'll have that reminder for the next 24 hours. Heck, the very first time I ever attempted to cook them, they dried out and burned so badly the neighbors could smell it!! Needless to say, they laughed at me. It was quite comical actually.

The thing about beans is that they take so long to cook, you have to make sure you'll be home for several hours to make sure they have enough time to cook thoroughly.

So I finally decided one day when I was craving "frijoles" and had to step out for a few errands...why not try the slow cooker? Wow. This took my beans to the next level. Here's how you too can make that happen.

Ingredients:

You'll need a Slow Cooker.

2 cups of whole pinto beans

1 quarter white onion

salt to taste

For added flavor:

1 strip of raw bacon OR 1 cube / 1 tablespoon of Knorr Suiza Bouillon  

Sort the pinto beans to search for rocks, dirt, debris, etc. Wash the beans. Place them in the slow cooker. Pour water in the slow cooker, enough to cover 3/4 of the pot.  Add onion, salt, bacon or Knorr Suiza Bouillon.

Turn slow cooker to High, and set to cook for 5 hours. Mine has never ran out of water, therefore, never burning. It covers the house in that yummy goodness fragrance, and the beans are soft and perfect!

Throw out the onion and bacon strip and serve up in a bowl with queso and avocado sprinkled on top, or refry them. 

Try it and let us know how it works out for you.

Provecho!!

Sonia and Sandy