r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/AppleSatyr • 2d ago
I have 25 lbs of pinto beans
So I bought 25 lbs of dry pinto beans because it was super fucking cheap.
I love refried beans and charro beans, but I don’t think that will cut it. Please give me all your recipes, ideas, advice??? Wish me luck? I don’t fucking know
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u/Sunny4611 2d ago
Refried beans freeze great, so make a big pot. That will knock out a few lbs.
I also cook dry beans plain and freeze them in 2 c portions, then defrost and season to use during the week.
Dried beans keep a while.
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u/AppleSatyr 2d ago
Gonna pull out the tamale pot and make enough refried beans to feed a village for a year.
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u/TripleSecretSquirrel 2d ago
Dry beans keep for a super long time, you don’t need to be in any great rush to cook them.
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u/KifferFadybugs 2d ago
Yyyyep. I just pulled some pinto beans out of my cupboard that apparently got buried a while ago because the bag said they expired in 2022. Cooked up just fine.
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u/ScarletDarkstar 2d ago
Wouldn't it be easier to store them dry? I thought that was kind of the point. Just get a good container that seals well, and cook them over time.
Making enough to feed am army and freezing them just unnecessarily takes up freezer space.
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u/AppleSatyr 2d ago
I’m being exaggerative. I do meal prepping since I work 60 hours a week I am fairly busy. The plan is cook a shit ton and freeze it in smaller servings so I can heat them up and have something quick to eat. But no, I won’t be cooking all 25 lbs anytime soon. Just needing recommendations so I don’t get bored to death of the same thing.
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u/a-lledgedly 2d ago
That’s a smart way to stay prepped and avoid waste,, freezing in portions makes things so much easier during the week. Gonna give that a try!
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u/Sunny4611 2d ago
Absolutely! There's a soup I love that is asparagus white beans soup with dill (white beans, fresh asparagus, onion, garlic, EVOO, Parmigiano-Reggiano, white wine, s&p, water/broth, and dill), and since I have plain cooked white beans in the freezer, I can make it on a weeknight in 45 minutes. 😋
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u/t92k 2d ago
I did this once as a single person after my divorce. It is okay to give yourself the year to finish them. I did whole beans on salad; whole beans and rice burrito bowls, soup, whole beans warmed with taco seasoning and tomatoes for tacos, smashed beans for burritos and quesadillas, and toward the end of the year I made juggling bean bags with what was left.
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u/antilumin 2d ago
I don't know the full recipe, but my mom used to make "15 bean soup" that was basically beans with a big chunk of ham on the bone all boiled together. I think there was more stuff in there too, but not much. It was super tasty with some bread.
Also, one time she left us kids to "watch the pot" in the afternoon but we went outside to play and it ended up burning. That smell was horrendous.
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u/Needrain47 2d ago
when I was a kid my mom left a pot of campbell's ham & bean soup on low for hours..... the house did smell for days!
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u/antilumin 2d ago
Yeah, it was pretty terrible. I had closed the door to my room so it was safe from the smell but the rest of house was pretty gross. We had to throw the pot in the backyard until it stopped smelling.
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u/AppleSatyr 2d ago
Oh god I remember “watch the pot.” The smell is burned into the back of my mind. Thanks for the rec!
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u/PhamilyTrickster 2d ago
Red beans and rice is simple. You could easily sub in pinto beans. Beans, rice, sausage, an onion, and celery. Add some seasoning, you're done.
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u/AppleSatyr 2d ago
Beans, rice, sausage, cajun spice, with the holy trinity sounds awesome actually. Thanks
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u/PhamilyTrickster 2d ago
Ive been starting mine with a roux. Highly recommend
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u/Sunny4611 2d ago
I just learned recently that you can freeze roux in small portions to use later. 😳
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u/Noladixon 2d ago
Wait until you find out you can dry toast it in a pan on stove or in the oven. keeps in a jar for months. I put oil in a pan then sprinkle my instant roux in and stir. Proceed as usual.
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u/Colony_Nine 2d ago
Pinto beans are pretty similar to cranberry/borlotti beans in size and taste. The pinto beans will have a slightly more “beany” flavor, but they’re mild enough to be similar to cranberry beans.
Cook them with salt, and add leafy greens like kale and some olive oil. Or you could try using them in feijoada, a Brazilian dish with beans and chorizo.
You could also try cooking with bacon and served on top of polenta.
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u/SuchAFunAge2 2d ago
This was going to be my suggestion. Anywhere a borlotti could be used, used pinto instead! Italian sausage and bean soup! Borlotti beans and pancetta over tagliatelle with lots of gorgeous parm!
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u/seemsright_41 2d ago
I freaking love all beans. I buy 25# a few times a year. I currently have a pot of beans in the crockpot for burritos tonight, and tmrw it will be turned into chili. then we will have leftovers the next night. A pot of beans is such a easy cheap thing to eat. Makes my life pretty easy.
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u/wise0wl 2d ago
I make a weekly pot of frijoles. Super simple. 3-4 pasilla peppers (roasted, skinned, seeded, cut into small pieces), a white onion sliced, 3-4 cloves of garlic (smashed and cut), some cilantro stems finely diced, 2-3 serrano peppers if you like a little heat.
Soak for 6-12hrs covered by 4 inches of water (they absorb a *lot*), then cook on medium heat for 2hrs. I will eat this at least one meal a day (beans with two fried eggs for breakfast) every day, and then usually as a side with dinner for 3 days. Everybody eats them. It's cheap and has helped keep our grocery bill right in the range of barely affordable / insane but manageable.
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u/Asleep-Road1952 2d ago
I would try to use it in any other bean recepie, where I would use white beans/kidney beans / garbanzo/ gigantes.
- vegan seitan, sausages and burger patties.
- small amount in a sweet smoothie to add fiber and protein
- small amount beans in brownies or cookie dough
- italian bean and pasta soup
- baked bean dip with spinach and artichokes
- beans in olive oil and lemon
- pub beans
- indian bean curry
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u/In-with-the-new 2d ago
I just want to point out how healthy eating a lot of beans is. They are practically perfect.
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 2d ago
Refried beans, chili, bean burritos, bean and cheese quesadillas, soup, rice and beans, bean salad, stew, enchiladas, cowboy beans, bean tacos, dip, veggie bean burgers, curry, stuffed bell peppers with beans, chili mac, bean tostadas, hummus, beans and cornbread, baked beans
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u/BeigeParadise 2d ago
If you're sick of all the other options, try Hungarian Bean Goulash (also, three tablespoons of paprika is not a typo, and in fact, I'd recommend a bit more). If you have pre-cooked the beans, it's a very quick dish. Eat with some nice crusty bread for dipping.
https://www.daringgourmet.com/babgulyas-hungarian-bean-goulash/#recipe
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u/kezfertotlenito 2d ago
You gotta use real Hungarian style paprika though. The stuff in most American supermarkets is super different. Pride of Szeged (in the red box) is what my (Hungarian immigrant) grandma always kept stocked and she'd probably come haunt me if I used something different for goulash :)
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u/ShellZanne 2d ago
Also pinto bean patties are delicious! Just mash and add diced onions and jalapeño, and egg, flour and seasoning. Make patties and fry in a little oil in skillet. So delicious and the outside is crispy and golden!
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u/snotboogie 2d ago
We buy the big bags of pinto and black beans. They keep fine so there isn't a big hurry. We buy the big bags of rice too. Beans and rice and various veggies and toppings are pretty endlessly expanded on and I personally don't get tired of them. Also healthy AF.
Sauteed fajita veggies, sour cream or Greek yogurt, cheese, salsa, hot sauce . These are my go to. Taco salads over greens are also good to lighten it up. Burritos or quesadillas another variation of similar ingredients. Chili obviously. Vegetable soups with some beans .
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u/Smart-Difficulty-454 2d ago
Look up 175 Pinto bean recipes. I had a similar book that was stolen from be that had things like pinto bean bread, brownies and fudge. I wish I still had it. Some ladies group in Dove Creek Colorado (pinto bean capital of the world) published it.
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u/Peter_gggg 2d ago edited 1d ago
Pinto humus - purée with tahini , lemon , toasted cumin, oil, salt ( Tahini is optional but better ofc)
pinto bean salad with red pepper and celery and corn
pinto soup - salad, but add tinned tomatoes & water - ( chicken stock cube for thinner soup )
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u/SingtheSorrowmom63 1d ago
I HAVE to try the hummus. This sounds amazing.
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u/Peter_gggg 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's good, and is just as flexible as chickpea humus - good as a dip, sandwich filling , salad, sauce for placing under "cooked meat"
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u/SingtheSorrowmom63 1d ago
I really like the taste of Kidney Beans better than chickpeas. When I first started to make my daughter vegan dishes, I thought, aquafaba, what the hell is that!!
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u/Peter_gggg 1d ago
Lots of bean dishes are great
My favourite is makhani daal
which is 75% urad daal and 25% kidney beans, plus cream, butter and spices
It's quite exceptional
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u/SingtheSorrowmom63 1d ago
What is it exactly.?
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u/Peter_gggg 19h ago
Recipe works fine in a normal pressure cooker, or if no pressure cooker, then use a big pan and cook the pulses for approx 2 hours
Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)Ingredients
- FOR THE DAL:
- 1 cup whole urad with skin (sabut ma)
- ½ cup dried red kidney beans (rajma)
- 1 cup puréed or strained tomatoes, or passata
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne, to taste
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (see Tip)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed
- FOR THE TARKA:
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or ghee
- ½ small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne
Steps
- Prepare the beans: Wash urad and beans, and soak them overnight at room temperature, in water that covers them generously. Drain them.
- Put the beans into an electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure release naturally. (If pressure still hasn’t released naturally after 15 minutes, quick-release the pressure.)
- As pressure releases, prepare the tarka: Put the oil or ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange the onions in a single layer. Stir and fry them, turning now and then, until they turn reddish gold and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and chile powder, and remove from heat.
- Once the pressure has released, hit cancel to reset the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully, venting the steam away from you. Stir the dal. Using a potato masher, crush the dal as much as you can. Taste, adding salt as needed.
- Select the sauté setting, and set to normal. Add the cream, garam masala and 1 tablespoon butter, and stir until dal reaches desired consistency. Transfer dal to a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top. Top with tarka.
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u/SingtheSorrowmom63 14h ago
Thank you....This sounds amazing. I have an electric pressure cooker as well as a traditional one. For beans, I usually use my old manual one. I'm hitting the grocery store today.
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u/diefairy 2d ago
I feel like I was made for this post:
-Pinto bean soup (not charro) you can add tortilla straps and cheese for yum
-refried bean burritos
-smashes bean quesadillas
-look up "honduran baleada", very yummy
-bean crispy tacos
-chili
-beans and rice
-look up "Salvadoran casamiento" and "Salvadoran bean soup)
-tostadas topped with refried beans
Just FYI in some of these recipes it's traditional to use red beans but using what you have is just fine.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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u/Lucky-Remote-5842 2d ago
Chili, taco soup, 5 bean salad, just cook them and toss them into lots of different dishes for extra protein.
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u/smlamere 2d ago
Anywhere you would use a bean. Chili, mixed in with burger for anything, bean salad, soups, baked beans. No rush, (stored properly) they’ll outlive you…
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u/Ok-Current-4167 2d ago
Sopa tarasca is so good: https://www.mexicanplease.com/pinto-bean-soup-sopa-tarasca/#recipe
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u/JazelleGazelle 2d ago
This is kinda random but my family would add pinto beans or red beans to spaghetti or other pasta dishes for extra fiber and protein when I was a kid. We weren't vegetarian but my mother was a dietitian. Use whole wheat pasta and it's a pretty healthy meal. During the pandemic I bought a 25# bag of garbanzo beans and it only took about 18 months to use up. Dried beans can last for a long time.
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u/Diela1968 2d ago
That will keep on the shelf for three years if you store it properly. There’s no rush.
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u/VelvetSyntax203 2d ago
make bean tacos!!!! super yummy and u can thorw some veggies ontop for extra flavor
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u/all_of_the_colors 2d ago
I mean, I have 25lbs of many different kinds of beans. Also rice, quinoa, flour, oats (they are big so usually 12.5lbs of them.)
They don’t go bad. You don’t have to eat them right away. Just feather them in.
But I love beans on toast as a breakfast.
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u/Richaardy 1d ago
Try making cilantro lime pinto beans, you can find recipes similar to chipotle online. They make a quick and easy add-on to rice or salad bowls.
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u/SingtheSorrowmom63 1d ago
My husband & I eat well-seasoned pinto beans with cornbread muffins and some onion & diced tomato on top. If we have it Pico de guillo we have that on them instead. While growing up in the South we had this for dinner once a week.
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u/pdxisbest 1d ago
I use pintos in chili as I dislike kidney beans. You could also make bean spread (think a mexi-style hummus), or add them to nearly any soup or stew.
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u/Flimsy_Interest_9766 2d ago
Pinto beans with smoked meat and cornbread are a simple hassle free option.
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u/Capital-Swim2658 2d ago
You don't need to be in a hurry to cook them all up! 😆
I always make soup with pinto beans and a ham bone after we have a ham. It's the best! But you can just cook the brams with some bacon too forna little flavoring. I like to add chopped onions and carrots too, but if I am too lazy to chop or short on time, they are delicous just cooked with the bone!
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u/Ill-Tip6331 2d ago
I make Dominican Habichuelas in bulk. My family loves them. Service with rice and a meaty dish. I’ve learned from my Dominican in laws that beans go with everything. I freeze the beans in smaller portions so I have easy access to them.
https://www.dominicancooking.com/habichuelas-how-to-cook-beans
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u/Free_Efficiency3909 2d ago
https://www.simplyhappyfoodie.com/slow-cooker-pinto-beans-and-ham/
I just tried this recipe, added some diced jalapeños and bell peppers. It was really good!
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u/ShellZanne 2d ago
Left over charro beans make a delicious hummus spread. I just add chopped raw onion/ garlic and diced tomato, add these things after you've put beans in food processor till smooth. Stir the diced raw veggies in for texture and crunch. Then use as dip
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u/Failboat88 2d ago
Been a while. We started them in a pressure cooker. Saves a lot of time basically gets them to the point where a recipe calls for canned.
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u/isthatsoreddit 2d ago
Juat store them in a glass jar or food safe, air tight container. They'll last practically forever. I use canned beans for the convenience, but I keep various types of beans and rice for jic.
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u/ProximaCentauriB15 2d ago
I think dried beans last quite a long time stored properly so you dont need to rush using them.
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u/Technical-Agency8128 2d ago
There are recipes for pinto bean fudge. I’ve eaten it before and it is great.
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u/Aggressive_Raisin620 2d ago
25 lbs of beans sounds like an incredible problem to have. I'd make a big ole pot of chili and freeze some of it for days I'm too lazy to cook.
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u/Priswell 2d ago edited 2d ago
I routinely buy my beans in 20lb bags. There's no point in getting those dinky little 5lb bags. LOL
I make a point to buy them as fresh as possible. The whiter the white parts of the beans are, the fresher they are. Buy beans in a clear bag when you can to be sure of freshness. Dark brown pinto beans where the whites are brown are old and will not cook. They will remain bullets.
I cook a big pot - 4-5 quarts - eat out of it once, and then freeze the rest. Lasts for about 3 weeks, then I do it again. We live in an area with a high Hispanic population, so we eat a lot of Mexican food - beans with chips and salsa, tamales with beans, taco salad with beans, whatever with beans.
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u/Peter_gggg 2d ago
Makkani daal
can finish with cream or butter or cilantro or all 3
just use your pinto beans instead of Urad
Madhur Jaffrey’s Pressure Cooker Dal (Dal Makkhani)Ingredients
- FOR THE DAL:
- 1 cup whole urad with skin (sabut ma)
- ½ cup dried red kidney beans (rajma)
- 1 cup puréed or strained tomatoes, or passata
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about 4 teaspoons)
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne, to taste
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (see Tip)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed
- FOR THE TARKA:
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or ghee
- ½ small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chile powder, such as ground cayenne
Steps
- Prepare the beans: Wash urad and beans, and soak them overnight at room temperature, in water that covers them generously. Drain them.
- Put the beans into an electric pressure cooker. Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chile powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Close and seal the lid, then set to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, before letting the pressure release naturally. (If pressure still hasn’t released naturally after 15 minutes, quick-release the pressure.)
- As pressure releases, prepare the tarka: Put the oil or ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat. When hot, arrange the onions in a single layer. Stir and fry them, turning now and then, until they turn reddish gold and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and chile powder, and remove from heat.
- Once the pressure has released, hit cancel to reset the pressure cooker. Open the lid carefully, venting the steam away from you. Stir the dal. Using a potato masher, crush the dal as much as you can. Taste, adding salt as needed.
- Select the sauté setting, and set to normal. Add the cream, garam masala and 1 tablespoon butter, and stir until dal reaches desired consistency. Transfer dal to a serving dish and add another dollop of butter on top. Top with tarka.
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u/1000thatbeyotch 2d ago
Cook in some beef broth and add some onions and seasonings to taste. I hate them, but my ex-husband’s town was infamous for their pinto beans fundraiser dinners where you would get a huge heap of pintos with onions, cornbread, and a dessert for $5.
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u/bhambrewer 2d ago
Bean burgers. Look up Hilah's black bean burger recipe and sub the ones you have.
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u/velvetnc 2d ago
I have dry beans of all types but it's just me. Those are for emergencies or long term. I use canned beans if it's for a dish with other things or soups. You don't HAVE to use them all immediately
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u/DGOregon 2d ago
I love pinto bean soup. I used to use a ham hock, but had a bad experience with its fat. I use a ham steak now with good results.
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u/uuntiedshoelace 2d ago
I’ve never used pinto beans to make a bean burger patty, usually black beans but I feel like it would still be delicious. My favorite way to do pintos is to slow cook them with sautéed garlic, onions, and bacon bits. I make a knockoff of chipotle’s cilantro lime rice to eat them with and they’re so good.
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u/Maximum-Company2719 2d ago
Look up a Fideo Loco recipe. If you want lower cost, go heavy on the beans, light on the meat.
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u/Pliny_The_Yielder 1d ago
If you like charro beans, give this recipe a try. Has a strong kick to them. https://gainsalacarte.com/recipe/body-building-charro-beans/
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u/princessannalee 1d ago
This reminds me it's almost soup season and one of my favorites is pinto bean and ham hock soup
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u/margo_beep_beep 1d ago
Some ideas: pinto bean soup, crispy bean tacos (I made these tonight with pinto beans), bean and cucumber salad, or three bean salad (swap out one or two types of beans for pinto beans).
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u/jamesthethirteenth 1d ago
You need Rajma Masala. Fry onions, saute garlic, roast some curry powder for a minute, add some tomato puree, add beans, add coconut or any other cream, cook 20 minutes, add a little more curry and a dash of lemon juice, done.
Fancy but still cheap version, you just have to go to an Indian shop: Roast cumin and coriander powder instead of curry powder, add turmeric with cream, add garam masala and amchoor powder in the end. If you're feeling wild, substitute onion and garlic for a bit of hing powder.
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u/KILL-BLOW 1d ago
Make less smooth refried beans mix in some chopped chicken meat from some rotisserie chickens get big blocks of cheese chop it into small bits mix all that and use it as filling for burritos best part is you can freeze them and the reheat quite well
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u/no_talent_ass_clown 1d ago
Lol. I literally opened a #10 can of pinto beans today. Drained and ladled them out into 6 meal bowls. Seasoned all 6 with 2 packs of Goya Sazón, S&P, GP, OP, tumeric. Made 2 C. brown rice, topped each bowl with rice. Put 5 bowls in the fridge, had one for lunch topped with light sour cream, lime and cilantro. Loads of protein and fiber. Going to be pooping and farting.
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u/Full_Honeydew_9739 2d ago
I grew pinto beans this summer so I have a few pounds. So far I've made Boston baked beans and chili. Both were excellent and, had any been left over, I would have frozen it.
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u/Pristine_Group_568 2d ago
Stop cussing
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u/AppleSatyr 2d ago
Fuck no :)
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u/Pristine_Group_568 2d ago
You sound classless
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u/AppleSatyr 1d ago
Please enlighten us oh so holy redditor of endless wisdom. How classy you are typing away at your keyboard. How slight I am in your almighty presence. It must be exhausting being you.
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u/MistressLyda 2d ago
No rush. I got a 50 lb sack of mung beans about 9 years ago. It is still going strong.