This is one of my favorite recipes for several reasons: it’s easy, it’s delicious, and it can span across several meals. On day one, it’s a great bean soup, best served with a delicious flank steak and cornbread or tamales. The next day, the leftovers are the basis of delicious refried beans to go with a Mexican meal.
Ingredients
- 5 cups dry pinto beans
- 6 slices bacon, quartered (or bacon end pieces)
- 2 medium onions, quartered
- 10+ cups water
- 10 cloves garlic, broken
- 1.5 tablespoons seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the beans. Place them in a large pot with the water, onions and bacon. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to gently boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1.5 hours. Be sure to check often, stir gently, and add water if necessary.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir well, but carefully. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Taste-test the broth; add spices as desired. Simmer for 30 minutes more. The final product should be soupy. Serve and enjoy!
- I usually serve this for dinner the first day with cornbread, then use the leftovers to make refried beans the next day, as part of a taco dinner. Yummy!
