Pinto Beans Recipe: 3 Dishes That Feature Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are a popular variety of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The versatile bean, which is popular in Latin American cooking, has a creamy texture with a slightly nutty and sweet flavor that offers a unique textural component to stews and soups. Known as frijol pinto in Spanish (which means speckled bean, "pinto" referring to a type of horse), raw pinto beans have a distinct, off-white color with red speckles, that turn a reddish-brown color when cooked.

You can bake, boil, sauté, or slow-cook pintos, which are typically seasoned with bay leaves, chili powder, cilantro, garlic powder, ground cumin, oregano, or paprika, and basic ingredients like black pepper, olive oil, and salt.

Pinto beans are a gluten-free source of carbohydrates, protein, calcium, and fiber, packed with vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, iron, and magnesium.

There’s a cooking method for every pinto bean enthusiast, no matter the time window:

1. 1. Stovetop: Stovetop beans may take a while to prepare, but this method provides cooks with the opportunity to calibrate the perfect flavor because they can season and taste for doneness throughout the cooking process.
2. 2. Pressure cooker: Using a pressure cooker can cut down the cooking time by about half, even without soaking the dried beans beforehand. Cook the beans on high pressure with some vegetable broth for 35–45 minutes to preference. Allow the pressure to release naturally before adding the spices.
3. 3. Slow cooker: If it’s your first time cooking pinto beans, slow-cooking is the best method to ensure a great result. Cooking low and slow allows for tender, flavorful beans without the need to watch the clock or constantly stir.

Here are a few dishes that spotlight the pinto bean’s versatility:

1. 1. Baked pinto beans: This play on traditional baked beans, which swaps white kidney beans for pintos, is perfect for barbeque season. Simply cook the pintos in chicken broth with a smoked ham hock, chopped onions, bell peppers, and diced celery, and season with your favorite spice blend.
   
2. 2. Bean soup: Pinto beans shine in bean soup. To make a vegetarian bean soup, combine a few cups of vegetable broth with a can of pintos, diced tomatoes, carrots, and any leftover veggies in your fridge, then season with black pepper, a dash of cayenne, and coarse sea salt.
3. 3. Mexican pot beans: Known as frijoles de la olla (pot beans) in Mexico, this flavorful side dish is a great way to spotlight tender pinto beans. Slow-cook the beans with garlic, epazote, cilantro, white onions, jalapeño, your choice of seasonings, and three quarts of water for a few hours until tender.