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.)

What are some of your favorite pantry staples recipes?

Thanks for sharing with your friends!