View Full Version : Texas-Style Pinto Beans
In a effort to make healthy food in large quantities for very little cost, I decided to make 8 lbs. of Texas-Style Pinto Beans today.
Last night, I soaked 8 lbs. of dry pinto beans overnight, then cooked them at a slow boil in 4 separate stock pots for 2 hours this morning. I drained the beans, then added 1 quart of homemade chicken/vegetable stock, 1 quart jar of canned crushed tomatoes, 1 T minced garlic, 1 tsp. salt, 2 T cumin, 3 T chopped jalapeņo peppers, 2 cups diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery, 1 chopped white onion and 1/4 large bottle of Crystal's Hot Sauce to each of the 4 stock pots and let them simmer for about 4 hours over medium heat.
When I've made this same recipe for 4 stock pots of Texas Style Pinto Beans previously using canned beans, it cost me approximately $51.00 for ingredients ÷ 13 quarts = $3.92 per quart + electricity for cooking.
I calculated the cost for making the beans as follows: approximately $23.00 for ingredients ÷ 13 quarts = approximately $1.77 per quart + electricity for cooking. That's a savings of approximately $2.15 per quart!
You can't beat that with a stick!
Oh, and did I mention -- they are AMAZING! :)
Wow, that's a lot of beans. And quite a nice savings!
Coincidentally I'm making a big batch (lol, or so I thought) of beans today too. The dry beans are cooked now, later I'll saute lots of onions and chopped chile peppers, then add some diced tomatoes, and flavorings. Cayenne, oregano, and cumin. I use this in soft tacos. Freezes great. I love it with beef too, but don't happen to have any on hand.
That sounds yummy, Gina. I wouldn't have thought to add oregano. I hope you enjoy them!
Thanks, they are simmering away to get a bit drier, but already tasting great. I want to use more dry beans, but don't as often as I would like.
Soft tacos here we come. http://www.ez-smilies.com/smilies/character00104.gif
I really think dry beans have a better flavor and texture than canned beans. I tend to like them a bit firmer and prefer them to softer canned beans. I like to eat the Texas-Style Pinto Beans I make with steamed brown rice (which I make in an electric rice cooker) or with toasted homemade bread I make using the recipe on this website from NY Times. I will definitely give the soft tacos a try and also thought of using them in burrito and enchilada recipes.
Hmm, with rice sounds good. I know that's a great combo, but I only have it in Mex places.
I make my soft tacos with fresh corn tortillas plus some cheddar cheese. You indeed can make a heck of a burrito with them too. Lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion and especially nice big dollop(s) of real sour cream on a nice, large flour torilla. Mmmmmm!
I also prefer dry beans to canned ones. They just taste fresher or something. I'll use canned in a pinch, but I now try to keep a container of cooked (dry) beans in the freezer for any emergencies (like making a hearty soup)
I love sour cream, so that sounds awesome to me, Gina. I've been substituting nonfat Greek-style yogurt for sour cream on occasion and have had good results with it. It makes yummy mashed potatoes. I bet it would work well in burritos, too. I love Greek-style yogurt with a bit of clover honey and pistachios.
I totally *get the concept of making a hearty soup being an "emergency". :)
treehugger
4-4-11, 12:24pm
Wow, and here I thought cooking 6 cups of dried beans (which makes exactly one full-to-the-brim crockpot) was a large batch! :)
Beans are such a staple in my house that I always have some in the freezer and some in the fridge. Over Saturday night, I made black beans with onions and garlic, and last night for dinner, I "fried" and mashed them to serve with burritos.
You can't go hungry with dried beans and rice in the house.
Kara
The knowledge that I can't go hungry is a huge comfort to me. Food, to me, is security. It's comfort. Beans and brown rice, for me, is comfort food. Mashed potatoes are comfort food, too.
You guys would be making me hungry, except that I had my own beans for dinner just a bit ago. (must be something in the air :) ) We buy pintos by the sack at about .75 a pound, and a few times a year make up the same kinds of yummy batches of beany goodness: beans, onions, peppers, tomatoes.... Tonight we rolled them up in ww flour tortillas with grilled onions, fried potatoes, cheese, sour cream and salsa for an amazing and cheap dinner.
I was inspired by Gina and made huge burritos stuffed with brown rice, Texas-Style Pinto Beans, chopped onions, part-skim cheese and Crystal's Hot Sauce for dinner tonight. I plan to have leftover burritos the next few days for lunch or dinner.
While all of your beans recipes sound really good because I really love beans, I think you drained off the best part....the bean cooking liquid!
Nothing and I mean nothing is as good as beans and their 'bean juice' poured over hot, fresh from the oven cornbread! Served with a fresh cut up sweet onion and dill pickle slices.
I'm telling you, eating doesen't get any better and I AM from Texas, born and raised!:)
Nothing and I mean nothing is as good as beans and their 'bean juice' poured over hot, fresh from the oven cornbread! Served with a fresh cut up sweet onion and dill pickle slices.
I'm just a native Californian, not a Texan, so this may sound horrible to you ;) but we love to ladle our pinto beans (with some "bean juice") over hot cornbread and then put an over-medium fried egg on top. That is a sublime combination; way more than the sum of its parts! You can keep your pickles. :)
Mmmm, I love cornbread, once I "discovered" that it doesn't have to be sweet like I had always had it when prepared by someone else. When I make it, there's no sugar added, thank you very much.
Kara
I'll have to give the beans with juice, chopped raw sweet onion and egg suggestions a try. I like pickles, but not with my Mexican food.
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