Being from Texas, Mexican pinto beans are a staple in our home. We serve them with cornbread for a simple dinner, mash them to make bean burritos for lunch or a snack, and serve them as a side dish to help fill hungry bellies. I like to make a big pot of beans and freeze them so we always have them on hand. Here’s how I get 5 meals from one pot of Mexican pinto beans.
Mexican Pinto Beans
- 4 lbs. pinto beans
- Lots of water
- garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and onion powder (optional)
Rinse beans really well.
Put beans in the pot (I use the roasting oven pan) and cover with water.
Let sit overnight.
In the morning drain the water and cover with fresh water.
Cook beans (at a slow boil) for another 2 hours or so making sure they stay covered with water. They are ready when they are soft. You can add your seasonings at any time but I do it after the beans are soft (about 4 tbsp. of each garlic powder, cumin, chili powder; about 2 tbsp. salt and 1tbsp. each pepper and onion powder).
warning: if you choose to put salsa or any tomato product in your beans do NOT add it until the beans are soft or else you can cook them for 2 days and they still won’t get soft.
These Mexican pinto beans are great for serving with cornbread or transform them into one of the meals below.
Taco Soup
- Cooked ground beef
- Bean
- Canned corn
- Canned tomatoes
- avacado, grated cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips
Brown hamburger meat in a stock pot with some onion. Add beans with liquid. Add a drained can of corn and a can of diced tomatoes. You can add more tomatoes or tomato sauce/paste if you want it more tomato flavored. Add garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and chili powder to season.
Taco Salad
- Tortilla Chips
- Beans
- Cooked ground beef
- lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado, grated cheese, sour cream and salsa
Put chips on a plate and crunch them. Add beans, meat and whatever toppings you want and enjoy.
Chalupas (also called Tostados)
You can either buy chalupa shells already cooked or you can fry your own (they are just a corn tortillas that are fried flat). Mash your beans and put them on the shell along with lettuce, tomato, etc. and enjoy.
Bean Burritos
- Beans
- Flour or corn tortillas
- lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado, grated cheese and salsa
Put the beans in a skillet and mash them (or in a food processor). Heat tortillas, put some beans on them along with some lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado and grated cheese. (Sometimes we have all of these things, sometimes we have only beans and tortillas, they’re still yummy.)
Mexican Pinto Beans
Mexican pinto beans are a staple in our home. We serve them with cornbread for a simple dinner, mash them to make bean burritos for lunch or a snack, and serve them as a side dish to help fill hungry bellies. I like to make a big pot of beans and freeze them so we always have them on hand. Here's how I get 5 meals from one pot of Mexican pinto beans.
This recipe is more of a process than an actual recipe and make a LOT of beans. Use the process to make beans in a quantity that best suits your family.
Ingredients
- 1 big pot - I use an 18 qt. electric Roasting Oven
- 4 lbs. pinto beans
- Lots of water
- garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and onion powder (optional)
Instructions
Rinse beans really well.
Put beans in the pot (I use the roasting oven pan) and cover with water.
Let sit overnight.
In the morning drain the water and cover with fresh water.
Cook beans (at a slow boil) for another 2 hours or so making sure they stay covered with water. They are ready when they are soft. You can add your seasonings at any time but I do it after the beans are soft (about 4 tbsp. of each garlic powder, cumin, chili powder; about 2 tbsp. salt and 1tbsp. each pepper and onion powder).
warning: if you choose to put salsa or any tomato product in your beans do NOT add it until the beans are soft or else you can cook them for 2 days and they still won't get soft.
Notes
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What are some of your favorite pantry staples recipes?
Erin
Monday 23rd of May 2016
I so admire the idea of teaching people to cook with staples so they can save money and create a better living situation for their family! Did your friend at church create a cookbook? If so, is there any way to view it or get a copy?
I saw a similar idea while back. An NYU student created a cookbook for those living in poverty (https://8e81c55f4ebf03323905b57bf395473796067508.googledrive.com/host/0B2A2SnkA9YgxaHdzbEhGSmJOZDg/good-and-cheap.pdf). Honestly, it wasn't that appealing to me. Beet salad just doesn't make my mouth water. But I do love your idea about using dry beans to stretch a dime and create multiple meals. Thank you for sharing!
It's a gift to see how you can make the most of what you have. I'm so happy to have found your blog and to hear about your friend's ministry. Not all of us have the natural ability/creativity to see so much potential in things. It's inspiring! Thank you!
Angi Schneider
Tuesday 24th of May 2016
Yes, our friend did create the cookbook but unfortunately, she has since passed away and I'm not sure what happened to it since she self published it. Thanks for the link to the Good and Cheap book, I'll have to check it out. Have you read Wildly Affordable Organic (http://amzn.to/1Tw2KUu)? I really liked it, it's the same premise as Good and Cheap. One think I like about it is that she not only gives you recipes but she also gives you a system. Sometimes it's hard to get off the convenience meal track and onto the made from scratch track.
I'm so glad you are enjoying the blog!
kamay
Saturday 16th of January 2016
In California, we had Tostadas for lunch all the time. I think it might be a regional thing cause when I moved to Texas as a teen I missed tostadas for the longest time. Then someone ordered a chalupa.. :D
My "how to use your big ol' pot of beans' tip is to add them to chicken burritos. That is where my leftovers end up. Makes your chicken stretch longer.
Angi Schneider
Sunday 17th of January 2016
I bet you were so happy when they ordered a chalupa! I love them, my husband thinks they are silly but it's comfort food for me. Thanks for the tip on using beans in chicken burritos. I'll have to try that!
daizy
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
I've been trying to cook more but my teenager is not encouraging of my efforts. He prefers boxed mac and cheese and Dinty Moore beef stew to my creations. My mother always called those tostadas so I had to look it up. According to Wikipedia: "A chalupa (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃaˈlupa]) is a tostada platter in Mexican cuisine. It is a specialty of south-central Mexico, including the states of Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Chalupas are made by pressing a thin layer of masa dough around the outside of a small mold, in the process creating a concave container resembling the boat of the same name, and then deep frying the result to produce crisp, shallow corn cups."
Angi Schneider
Wednesday 13th of January 2016
Teenagers are trying sometimes, aren't they? But we still love them. Thanks for the info on the difference between tostada and chalupa. I guess I've been calling it the wrong thing all these years. I probably won't change but at least I know the truth ;-).
Anna Gibson
Tuesday 31st of March 2015
I've been Bean hungry for a while now. Hubby doesn't like them so when I cook them...they last me forever. ;) I used my last quart of frozen beans about a year ago. So happy to find this recipe. I joined all your social networks. I think u rock!
Angi Schneider
Wednesday 1st of April 2015
Awww, thanks Anna! I'm a firm believer that we should treat ourselves to things we like even if we are the only ones in the family that likes them. For me that's fermented veggies.
Chris
Friday 12th of December 2014
I'm an older girl who needs to copy recipes and look at them with my glasses on! I can't find a copy recipe button. :(
Angi Schneider
Friday 12th of December 2014
Thanks for visiting, Chris. This is an older post, so I updated it with printable recipe cards...just for you ;-). Have a great weekend.