This delicious and filling pinto beans recipe is easy to make and is full of flavor. It’s a wonderful and inexpensive recipe for the chilly Fall and Winter months.
I usually make a pot of pinto beans at least twice a month sometimes more. They are cheap, easy to make, and fill you right up.
Beans do not have to be boring like many believe. There are so many different types of beans and different meals you can make out of them I don’t see how they could ever be boring.
You can make them on the stove or in a slow cooker. I cook mine on the stove and they usually take 3-4 hours.
How long it will take your beans to cook depends on how old the beans are. It will take longer for older beans to soften up.
Using a ham hock to flavor the beans is a must! One trick I have learned is to let the ham hock simmer for at least an hour before adding the beans.
This allows time for the ham hock to release all of it’s goodness.
After the beans are done I remove the ham hock and let it cool down. Then I remove the meat from the ham hock and add it to the pot with the beans.
You could always just throw the ham hock straight into the trash after cooking. But I hate waste so I try to use up as much of the ham hock as I can.
I love adding rice to my beans it just makes the meal more filling and stretches the beans a little further.
The rice I use is basmati rice and it’s funny because I would have never thought to pair basmati rice with pinto beans.
I used to always use just plain long grain white rice.
However last year I went to my friend’s house to catch up as we hadn’t seen each other in years. I ended up eating there which is always great because her mother is a wonderful cook.
Pinto beans and basmati rice were one of the meals she made that day. Thanks to her, basmati is the only rice I use to pair with my pinto beans.
The beans are fine all on their own but paired with fragrant basmati rice makes them so much better!
If the beans ever run low on liquid when simmering it’s ok to add another cup of water.
The beans shouldn’t be dry. We want the beans to have a nice gravy when finished.
I absolutely cannot eat these pinto beans without some hot water cornbread to go with it! If you haven’t tried hot water cornbread you should.
It’s crispy on the outside and soft inside. I love it! It’s perfect for sopping up that delicious bean gravy.
Pinto Beans Recipe
This pinto beans recipe is anything but boring so give it a try! I bet you’ll love it. Thank you for reading.
If you don’t mind I’d really love if you could rate the recipe down below. Thank you so much!
The Best Pinto Beans
perfect for a simple dinner or as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 ham hock
- 2 cups of pinto beans
- 1 small white onion diced
- 11 cups of water
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Bring the ham hock and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low.
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Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
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Add beans and onion to pot.
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Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low.
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cook for about 3-4 hours or until beans are soft.
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Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Add brown sugar and cook an additional 15 min.
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Serve over rice or as is.
sue franze says
are you using dry pinto beans or canned pinto beans
Carissa says
Dry pinto beans