I’m a really big fan of simple recipes that are authentic, and really tasty, and this is definitely one of those! I love making this dish because you can throw all of the ingredients into a big pot and pretty much forget about it for 2 hours, except for the occasional trip into the kitchen to stir the beans.
You can cut the ancho chili powder in half and add only 1 jalapeño if you want to cut back on the heat. If you’ve already put together all the ingredients and think the dish is too spicy, add an additional tablespoon of brown sugar. Replacing the chorizo sausage with bacon will also cut down on the heat, but will also take away some of the smokiness of the sausage. You can also try adding about ½ cup of your favorite beer when adding all the other ingredients to give the dish a different flavor. I love making a double batch of this recipe and having it in the fridge for easy access, enjoy!
Makes About 8 Servings
1 Pound Dried Pinto Beans, Rinsed and Picked Through
2 Quarts Water
½ Pound Chorizo Cut into 1 Inch Pieces
1 Cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
½ Cup Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
5 Garlic Cloves, Diced
2 Jalapeño Chilies Cut Lengthwise, Seeded, and Diced
4 Medium, Ripe, Plum Tomatoes, Chopped
½ Cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Ancho Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Freshly Ground Cumin Seeds
½ Teaspoon Dried Mexican Oregano
1 and ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Bay Leaves
- In a large dutch oven or another large, deep pot, add:
- 1 Pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked through
- 2 Quarts water
- ½ Pound chorizo sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Cup yellow onion, chopped
- ½ Cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 5 Garlic cloves, diced
- 2 Jalapeño chilies, cut lengthwise, seeded, and diced
- 4 Medium, ripe, plum tomatoes, chopped
- ½ Cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons freshly ground cumin seeds
- ½ Teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 and ½ Teaspoons sea salt
- ½ Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Bay leaves
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the beans, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and thick, about 2 hours
- Remove the 2 bay leaves from the beans and either leave the beans whole or smash with a potato masher, serve, and enjoy!
