Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pot of Pinto Beans ~ 14+ Meals to Make ~ Free Menu Printable


"There's nothing like good hot bean soup on a cold day," said Pa.
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

Pinto beans are an absolute staple in our home. I make a large batch every few weeks. To prepare, soak dry beans overnight in warm water (I start off with about 1/3 full of dry beans in a 16 quart pot). The next day, drain the water and add a fresh batch of water (supposed to reduce potential stomach hazard) to just cover the beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour or so. Then, add a large can of tomato sauce, a few taco seasoning packets, a cube of butter, five or so chopped onions, some chili powder and continue to simmer ingredients together for about 2-3 hours until they are tender. These are so simple and so forgiving but very versatile and healthy! {If you notice your beans are usually on the tough side, boil them at the beginning for ten minutes before you begin simmering. Also, do not add salt until the end when you are doing your final taste testing. This can yield tough beans too!}

"Rice and pinto beans served with cornbread or corn tortillas are often a staple meal where meat is unavailable; the amino acids in this combination make it a complete protein source."
~ Wikipedia


Fourteen Meals to Make with Beans:
  • Tostadas: Serve the tostada shell with beans, along with sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced chives, sliced olives and salsa.
  • Bean Quesadilla: Smear beans on flour tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and place another tortilla on top. Cook on both sides in a hot frying pan (without grease) until cheese is melted. Cut into triangles and serve with salsa, guacamole and a green salad.
  • Bean Enchiladas: Use beans in your favorite enchilada recipe in lieu of meat. I also usually add some sauteed bell pepper and onions to the filling as well. Serve with rice, guacamole and a green salad.
  • Bean Soup: Sautee whatever vegetables you have on hand including onions, add to the beans along with tomato sauce, a boullion cube. Simmer until flavors are blended and serve with shredded cheese, corn bread and green salad.
  • Fried Bean and Cheese Burritos: These are really good for on the go food. Simple place beans and cheese inside a flour tortilla, wrap them up and fry in oil until golden on each side. Serve with salsa, guacamole and a green salad.
  • Basic Bean Burritos: Reheat your beans and serve with warm tortillas along with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, shredded cheese, guacamole and salsa. You can also serve rice as a filling. Here is an easy flour tortilla recipe if you would like to try making them.
  • Bean Tacos: Use the same fillings as above and use beans in lieu of meat. It is also tasty with a coleslaw sprinkled on top.
  • Beans on Rice: Simply prepare some rice and place your beans on top. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Serve with a green salad.
  • Nacho Style Bean Platter: Melt cheese on top of tortilla chips in the oven. Sprinkle warm beans on top along with fresh salsa if you choose. This is a tasty snack or light lunch if served with some guacamole.
  • Eight Layer Bean Dip: Smear beans on the bottom of a casserole dish above 1/2 inch worth. Next, smear some sour cream across the top of that. Spread guacamole on top of that layer. Spread salsa on the next layer. Now, sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Next, sprinkle sliced olives on top along with chopped chives. If you have cilantro or parsley, that can be added as the finally. Serve with tortilla chips and dip in.
  • Taco Salad: Create a basic green salad and add your beans, shredded cheese, avocados, olives, crushed corn chips, red bell peppers, baby corn and chives along with a salad dressing of your choice. Serve with corn bread.
  • Beans on Pasta: Prepare your favorite pasta and ladle your beans on top. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Serve with a green salad.
  • Frozen Bean Burritos: This is what I do with my extra beans and love the look of them in my freezer, just waiting for that time of need! See below.
  • Chili Cheese Fries: Recipe shared below (new addition, not on printable).
  • Fast and Festive Taco Casserole: Recipe shared below (new addition, not on printable).

I like to make bean burritos for the freezer for those last minute needs such as road trips, field trips or an on the go day. We do not eat "out" for a variety of reasons so I create my own meals to be ready and available.


To prepare: Place 1/4 cup of beans on your tortilla, add 1/4 cup of rice on top of the beans (I cook my rice in chicken broth), sprinkle cheese to taste, and roll up your tortilla. Place on foil and wrap up your basic burrito.

Allot the amount you would like for your family servings into bags. I usually prepare two dozen at a time and place a dozen in one bag and a dozen in the other. What is also nice is you can just grab any amount needed from the bags for a quick lunch for hubby or you when necessary. Freeze for future use but don't forget to bring the hot sauce when you finally serve them!

Heating Instructions: If thawed first in refrigerator, bake with foil on in 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. If frozen, bake with foil on in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.



And finally, our newest favorite meals to make with beans! First off are these "chili cheese fries". Visit here for the simple recipe!



And, if you have some ground beef on hand, you may also like to try our Fast and Festive Taco Casserole which can be prepared with either pinto or black beans!


HERE is a printable summary of these ideas for your recipe book. Perhaps you will want to place this page behind the "main dishes" tab but in the very front. Look upon it on those days when you don't know what to make and hopefully have a stash of these tasty beans in your freezer! You may also be interested in our Black Bean Menu Ideas or learning how to pressure can beans for your pantry.

What else do you do with pinto beans in your home?
All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsMake Your Home Sing MondayGood Morning Mondays,  The ScoopTitus 2 TuesdaysTuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and ConversationHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadFrom the Farm Blog HopFront Porch Friday Blog HopAwesome Life Friday Link UpFive Star Frou Frou FridayShabbilicious FridaySimply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

34 comments:

  1. Your burritos look yummy! We makes those quite often in our home as well.

    LOL about the sound of sleeping dollars in your purse. I am just wondering, do they snore? Ha, ha! :)

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  2. I love beans they are a quick and easy meal. One thing I learned recently from Melissa D'Arbian's 10 dollar dinners is to make up your beans and freeze them in one cup quantities. I don't know why I never thought of that!

    I make a modified version of the bean soup from the book "Splended Soups" that my family can't stay out of, it's also very easy and can be made with what you have in the pantry:

    1-2 cups of beans (pinto, black, kidney, whatever you got)
    pesto (I freeze these during the summer from my basil) cubes or 1 tsp basil
    1 jar of canned tomatoes (or about 2 15 oz jars)
    1 onion
    1 tsp minced garlic
    bacon, 1-3 slices

    Put in a crockpot and after 5 hours, grind soup with a submersible blender or a few cups at at time (fill in only about 1/4 of the size of the blender cup, I speak from experience, it's scary otherwise)
    Once you've ground it up, put back in crockpot with a couple of handfuls of whatever pasta you got and cook on high for about 11 mins. It's crockpot cooking at it's best and cheap!

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    1. Thank you for sharing! I love crockpot recipes (especially the frugal bean ones)!

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  3. I like to cook with beans and add them to lots of things too. If we have leftover chili or other bean type dish that doesn't leave us with a whole meal we like to serve it over baked potatoes.

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  4. Thank you so much! I just printed out the bean sheet so I can put it in my family planner. I tend to go blank when it comes time for meal planning so this will help.

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    1. I am right there with you MamaHen! That is why I prepared it :)

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  5. We buy beans in bulk and will make a huge batch! We freeze what we have left over and they are on hand for last minute meals or because grocery budget is tight :)

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    1. We do the exact same thing for the exact same reasons :) Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Thanks for such a handy list! Great ideas. It is printed out and will be shared on my social media. Thanks again!

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    1. Thank you very much :) I appreciate you sharing!

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  7. Thanks so much for this handy resource, JES! Pinning this to my Beans board, as I love using beans as much as I can. I add them to soup, love white bean chili, and black bean brownies.

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    1. Glad this will help you. We also use a lot of beans! I still need to try and make some black bean brownies though!

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  8. Mmmmmm, we love pinto beans here as well.

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    1. How can you go wrong as they are tasty, healthy and affordable :) Thanks for the visit Daisy!

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  9. Frugal and creative. Thanks for posting on the Wednesday Homestead Blog Hop. Pinned and Tweeted!

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  10. Thanks so much for the list of great ideas! We love pinto beans. This will be a featured post on Homestead Blog Hop this week! Hope to see you again on Wednesday!

    Jen

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    1. Thanks for the feature Jen :) I appreciate it!

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  11. This site is so inspiring and exquisite. If I need a pick-me-up from the world that screams against all that is holy and wonderful, especially righteous homemaking, womanhood motherhood, and sisterhood, I come here. There is a tangible Goodness/Wholesomeness here that God put His stamp of approval on.

    It is clean and uplifting. It is all that embodies Charity because "Charity Never Faileth". We must never let it fail. Thank you for the labor of love that is this site. Thank you to all who contribute with the best you have to give. We may never meet in this world but you add to my life in a marvelous way. It is my prayer and hope that God bless all of us who give so much every day, and most times without due appreciation, to build each other up and to be a Light, His Light, to all within the sphere of our influence.

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    1. Good morning and thank you very much for taking the time to share this encouragement! Love, JES

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    2. You're welcome sister/JES! You are so wonderful! You have done a truly beautiful work here and are an earthly ministering angel whether you humbly know it or not. God bless you and yours always and keep up the good work! I tell all I can about this site. I also make them sign a disclaimer that it's not my fault if they lose track of time getting lost exploring in here. LOL

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    3. Sending smiles and hugs your way! :)

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  12. Out of all the beans I have tried, I still like pinto beans the best. I use cooked pinto beans for breakfast in an omelet... adding peppers, cheese, you name it.

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  13. Wow, I love your recipes with beans and they are all so yummy.
    Thank you for sharing.

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  14. This is a great list! Beans are such an inexpensive, versatile food and I'm always looking for my meal ideas using them. Thanks!

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  15. Mmmm.... All of these sound wonderful! I love just a simple dish of beans and cheese. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  16. So many good ideas! Thank you very much for sharing. Pinned!

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  17. we like pinto beans soaked, then cooked in a roasting pan (cooked with lid on) with pork hocks. After cooking a couple of hours , I add, chopped onion, stewed tomatoes ( have had to use tomato paste at times), and when the beans are soft I add salt and a little molasses. I continue to slow cook in the oven till meal time. By the time I am ready serve the meat and fat from the hocks are falling off the bones ( which I remove) and in small pieces. the works has filled the roasting pan. We have the meal for supper, and usually lunch the next day. I then freeze the rest ( or if we had company and not too much is left ) use in a bean soup ( more of a clean out the fridge type soup). These beans are more like a pork and beans dish and I usually serve with homemade buns or bread.

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    1. Excellent! Thank you for sharing your recipe! I would try this with a nice piece of beef with bone as we will be processing our cow soon! :) I appreciate you taking the time to comment Pat.

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  18. Love the freezer burritos idea! These would be great to take to a new mom...quick and easy meal whenever she needs it. Thanks for all the ideas!

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  19. They can be used to make a form of hummus.

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  20. wonderful ideas for beans and also gas because gas prices are so high right now. LOL. Many blessings. Great post. Beans lives matter.

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