Flavor Options For Plain Pinto Beans

by Texas Homesteader ~

I cook a large amount of dried pinto beans at one time. Then I portion out and flavor them in several different ways. It’s fast because the beans have already been cooked. And we enjoy lots of variety for different meals too!

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Batch-Cooking A Large Amount Of Dry Pinto Beans

Recently I was looking through the pantry and I spied a large 2-lb bag of pintos.

Aaaaah the lowly pinto bean. I wonder if I should cook a whole 2-lb bag of them? Will we get tired of them before they’re all eaten?

I decided to cook them up and see how many different ways we could enjoy them before our palates got bored. Come see!

How To Cook Dry Pinto Beans In An Instant Pot

After I’d sorted out any damaged beans and tiny rocks, I poured the beans into a colander and rinsed them well.

I’ll cook them in my *6-Quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. (Have I mentioned lately how much I love that thing??!!)

Do You Have To Soak Pinto Beans When Using An Instant Pot?

Soaking and rinsing dry beans allows them to cook faster. It’s also said to remove some of the gas-causing enzymes.

There are many who say you don’t have to soak dry beans when cooking in a pressure cooker. But I’ve always found they just cook better if I do.

Soaking Dry Pinto Beans For Pressure Cooking

The sorted & rinsed beans were covered with water and I set them on the counter to soak while I went about my day.

About an hour before supper I poured out the soaking water and rinsed the beans.

Then I put them back into the pot and added Homemade Broth to a level of about 2″ above the level of soaked beans. (You can just use fresh water if desired)

Light Seasoning For Batch-Cooking Dry Beans

Typically I like to use my homemade Pinto Bean Seasoning when I’m cooking a pot of beans. RancherMan always raves about it.

But since I’ll be using different seasonings as I remake these beans in subsequent meals I’ll only season with a teaspoon each of salt & pepper right now.

How To Cook Dry Pinto Beans In A Pressure Cooker

It’s super easy to cook soaked pinto beans in a pressure cooker.

Pressure-cook on high pressure for 30 minutes

Allow 10 minutes natural release, then manually release remaining pressure.

Pinto Beans as a Main Dish

The first night we enjoyed those cooked pintos with Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread for our supper. It was delicious on a cool night!

When we’d eaten our fill that first night I placed the leftover beans in the fridge. They’ll be magically transformed into different bean dishes in the next few days.

Ranch-Style Flavored Beans From Leftover Pintos

The next night I wanted Ranch-Style Beans, so I used cooked pintos:

2 cups cooked plain pintos

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder & onion powder

1/8 teaspoon each of cumin & paprika

Bibbidy-bobbedy-BOO those plain pintos were now changed into zesty Ranch-Style Beans!

What goes with Ranch-Style Beans?

Here are my favorite dishes to to with Ranch-style beans:

Boneless Pork Chops

Air-Fryer Salmon Patties

Taco-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Southwest Quesadillas

Simple BBQ Beans From Plain Pinto Beans

To make BBQ beans using plain pinto beans:

2 cups cooked plain pintos

1/4 cup homemade Mix-n-Pour BBQ Sauce

Presto-Changeo again – this time into BBQ Beans.

What Dishes Go With BBQ Beans?

Here are our favorite dishes to go with our homemade BBQ Beans:

Crispy Air-Fryer Fried Chicken

Grilled meat using Homemade BBQ Rub & Beer-Based Mop Sauce

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Beans Made Into Hummus

I have a super-simple hummus recipe and I typically make it with chickpeas or other white bean. But I’m not gonna lie, I will make hummus from almost any leftover cooked bean!

It’s not uncommon at all for me to make Hummus From Leftover Beans.

- - 1½ cups cooked plain pintos
  - 1-2 cloves garlic,
  - ¼ cup coconut oil or olive oil,
  - 3 Tablespoons lemon juice,
  - 1 teaspoon each cumin, chili powder, onion powder
  - ½ teaspoon paprika;
  - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

NOTE: You can pre-mix Hummus Seasonings, for even quicker hummus whenever you want!

What Goes With Hummus?

Here are our favorite ways to enjoy hummus.

Rolled into a Mix-n-Pour Tortilla

Dipped using my homemade Pita Chips Using Flour Tortillas

Topping Leftover Meatloaf Quesadillas

NOTE: I never, EVER have leftover hummus! And it freezes beautifully too. So I made several batches, labeled them and placed them in the freezer for future eating.

Bean & Cheese Burritos

We can whip together bean & cheese burritos fast.

Mash 2 cups cooked plain pintos

Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese

Just roll them up to make a bean & cheese burrito. We like to crisp the sides on a hot griddle to melt the cheese too.

Top with a little zesty salsa or Creamy Hatch Chile Sauce and you’ve got a healthy and filling lunch.

Freeze Leftover Pinto Beans

By now I’m only left with a couple of servings of those original plain pinto beans. I’ll freeze them in 2-serving sizes to bring out for an inexpensive, healthy side sometime down the road.

Whew – that’s a lot of mileage from a lowly 2-lb bag of dried pinto beans!

~TxH~

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9 thoughts on “Different Flavors Dress Up Plain Pinto Beans”

Debbie at

I got lost in the amozing rabbit trail of great recipes you have shared on your website!! Bean week coming up here in Oklahoma!! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

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Sherry at

Have you ever tried pinto bean salad? It doesn’t sound very good, but it is really good – especially on a hot day when you want a cold protein lunch! Pinto beans (drained), diced cucumber, diced onion, mayo & a little salt. Sometimes I add fresh chopped dill or cilantro. YUM!

Reply ↓
1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  No, I’ve never heard of nor tried pinto bean salad Sherry. But you can bet your boots I’m gonna try it. Sounds right up my ally! I’m often looking for hearty, healthy cold foods for hot Texas summer days. Thanks for the tip. ~TxH~
  
  Reply ↓
Leesa at

How much salt and pepper do you add for the 2 pounds of pinto beans? Thanks in advance.

Reply ↓
1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  I typically add about a teaspoon of each. To me, this is the perfect amount of salt for the beans since we don’t typically eat much salt. For others it could be barely on the light side. But I feel you can always add salt when serving, but if you add it during cooking you can’t take it out! So I typically go somewhat light on the salt especially if I’m serving guests. That way it’s perfect for our tastes and additional salt can be added at serving for our guests who prefer things more on the salty side. Thanks for bringing this to my attention Leesa, I’ve updated the post to include this information.
  
  Reply ↓
Valerie at

Did you use high or low pressure to cook?

Reply ↓
1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  Mine defaults to high pressure I believe Valerie. Thanks for pointing that out, I’ll amend the post to clarify. ~TxH~
  
  Reply ↓
Miss B at

Your ranch style beans are the best ever! Love them!

Reply ↓
1. Texas Homesteader Post author at
  
  I’m so glad y’all like them as much as we do. They’re a staple here. Delicious, inexpensive and healthy – gotta love it! ~TxH~
  
  Reply ↓