Mexican Pinto Beans with Queso Recipe

8 Smart Points 294 Calories

Mexican Pinto Beans made from scratch in the pressure cooker topped with tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and my favorite part, the cheese! Serve as soup or a side.

Sponsored by Capital One

Growing up in a half Latin home with a Colombian mom, homemade beans made from scratch were a staple. Lazy Sundays Mom would have a big pot of beans simmering all day on the stove ready to feed anyone and everyone who came over unexpected, in fact she still does that today. Beans also happen to be my husband’s favorite thing in the world to eat, I seriously think he fell in love with me after the first time he tried my beans. So when I want to make a dish I know Tommy will love, beans are on the menu. These Mexican Pinto Beans are life, made from scratch in the pressure cooker with onions, chile, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and my favorite part, the queso! Soupy and mild in heat, they can be served as a soup or as a side dish over rice or with tortillas.

And they couldn’t be any easier so I’m excited to partner with Capital One so you can make them too! Capital One is about to speak my love language, they have launched Savor the new credit card from Capital One that rewards customers with unlimited 3% cash back on dining, 2% on groceries, and 1% on all other purchases – for someone like me who heads out to the supermarket DAILY, and goes out to eat often for inspiration, this card’s for me.

These beans are inspired by the pinto beans I recently had at a taqueria in Berkeley called Frijoles Con Todo, which basically means loaded beans. The beans were magnificent, I especially loved the chunks of soft queso Oaxaca which is similar to mozzarella string cheese, as well as fresh tomatoes, onions and cilantro mixed in at the end. I recreated them at home and Tommy RAVED about them!

The Savor card was created to help people come together to create memorable moments around food, an important part of life and that’s exactly what I try to do here on Skinnytaste – share healthy recipes my family loves so that you can make them too. Last night as we gathered at the table for dinner he had two bowls and savored every bite – dinner was a success!

A few tips on making perfect beans from scratch:

Let the beans soak overnight in plenty of water, then drain them the next day.
I always use a pressure cooker to make my beans, it cuts the cook time in half. To make them on the stove, double the cook time.
Beans thicken the longer they stand. To make them soupier you can add more liquid. If reheating, add more liquid to loosen them up.
For thicker beans, I let them cook uncovered for thirty minutes. You can thicken them more or less to your taste.

Mexican Pinto Beans

These soupy beans can be served as a soup or as a side dish over rice or with tortillas. Leftovers freeze well.

Ingredients:

1 pound dried pinto beans

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup minced cilantro

3 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium yellow onion, left whole

1 (4.24 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 whole jalapeño

2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable bouillon (Better than Bouillon)

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Topping:

2 medium vine tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped

1/4 medium red onion, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup minced cilantro

3 ounces queso Oaxaca or mozzarella, diced 1/4-inch

8 ounces sliced avocado

lime wedges, for serving

tortillas, optional for serving

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight in water. Discard the water the next day.

Set pressure cooker to saute, add the oil and chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, 1/4 cup cilantro and cook 1 minute. Set aside in a bowl.

In the pressure cooker combine the soaked beans, green chilies, jalapeño, half onion, bouillon, bay leaves and 6 cups water. Cover and cook high pressure 45 minutes.