Hello, and welcome to another round of Mexican Meatless Monday! I am your host, Monica “the Mexican” Olivas. 
Today we will be learning how to cook beans.
Growing up, we always ate pinto beans. They were either in the fridge or on the stove at all times. We had them as a side dish or as the main part of our meal, like in bean burritos, regularly for dinner. 
I can clearly remember the sound of my grandma’s iron pot jiggling on the stove top. She has one of those big, thick iron pots with a vent in the lid. Then vent would click around for hours as our beans were on a rolling boil getting soft.
Hi Grams!
Sure, you can buy beans in a can. But you can get them for super cheap in the bulk bins at your local market and cook them up adding only what you choose. 
1. Step One is to check the beans for rocks or debris. I have never found a rock in dry beans, but my grandma has told me horror stories about people breaking their teeth while chomping into bean burritos.
Pour the beans on your table and push them into the pan little by little, checking for rocks in the process. 
2. After you’re sure your beans are rock-free fill the pot with water. Add a big dollop of garlic (or a clove to be removed later) and salt. (See me in the microwave reflection?)
3. Bring to a rolling boil. Then, reduce to a simmer and cover. Don’t put the cover directly on the pot if it doesn’t have a vent. Or use a lid one size bigger. This allows steam to vent and avoids an overflow. 
4. Simmer for about 1.5 hours. You can check the beans after one hour and see how soft they are. This will let you know how much longer you need to cook them.
*This cooking time can be reduced if you soak the beans in water overnight. Soak overnight and cook for 1 hour.
Check the pot periodically to make sure you don’t cook off all the water. If you do start getting too low on water you can just add more. You don’t want to bottom of the pan or your beans to burn! (Sadly, I know from experience.)
5. Once they are tender enough – Drain the beans, season to taste and serve them whole…
OR
For “Re-fried Beans”
6. Drain the beans and add salt, pepper and a wedge or two of laughing cow cheese.
7. Then, smash the mix with a potato masher. You can also use a hand mixer to get them fluffy and super smooth. I didn’t this time, but I love smooth and creamy beans. 
My family never actually “fried” our beans. We always would smash them with a little bit of the bean water and add cheese and salt. These are better than re-friend and healthier. 
Enjoy!
Question: What’s a staple food you always had at your house growing up?
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
My Colombian mother was all about making the beans as well. However, she always told me not to put the salt in until the beans were soft because they would get too tough. Not sure if that is true but if you’ve had success then it must be one of those old wives’ tales.
Stephanie,
Actually my grandma says the same thing! I don’t think it’s true or I don’t mind tough beans? Either way, that’s how I do it
Yay, this is great. I’m cooking with pinto beans today. Can yuo suggest any easy quick recipes with pinto beans? I was thinking about marinating them in some kind of sauce for a cookout today.
Marinating them in a BBQ sauce works well for a cook out. Or my aunt makes chili beans with ‘em
chili beans sounds great, yep I was thinking bbq sauce.
I love beans but sadly my mother never cooked with them growing up – they are something I have grown to love as an adult.
I bought beans in the bulk bin yesterday to try cooking in the crock pot.
We always had mac and cheese in the house growing up – my mom would make it frequently as a quick meal!
I grew up in a house of processed foods. So I don’t really have any fun memories of things cooking.
Probably why I am so impatient when it comes to cooking. I saw that the beans took an HOUR to cook and my first thought was “WHAT? Screw that! They come in a can!”
I know it’s healthier and cheaper to do it the long way….so maybe…one day…
Same here, almost everything came from a can or a package in my house. Ironically, my mother was a chef but by time she got home from work she didn’t want to cook anymore. My dad also did a lot of the cooking growing up because my mom always had big catering jobs during the summers.
I’m planning on showing how to make them in the crockpot soon too. That is pretty easy
But, I get it – most of the time I used canned too.
Growing up with an Italian mother, we ALWAYS had pasta. How ironic that my body went rogue and can’t tolerate gluten anymore
YUM! The “refried” beans with laughing cow cheese sound delicious!!!
I grew up eating southern food at it’s finest… homemade buttermilk biscuits, mashed potatoes, buttermilk pancakes….
Thanks for the tut! I’ve only made lentils dry, but this lets me know it’s not so scary to try other beans:)
I have always wanted to know how to make my own refried beans! Now I know — yippee!!!
We had lots of staples, but especially plain yogurt (it’s used in a lot of persian dishes, and my mom was also ahead of her time, health-wise).
You buy your beans in bulk, so they’re probably prepped in a different way than bags of beans you get from the grocery store…..or at least from different places/brands. I find small rocks in my bags of beans pretty much every time I go through them. They’re not huge, but would definitely hurt if I missed one when sorting.
Yum you make it look so easy! I’m so use to buying the vegetarian canned refried beans from TJ’s. This looks like a good change and really fresh!
Thanks for sharing this how-to. I learn best from photos. For some reason beans seem complicated to cook, but at least pinto won’t be so intimidating from now on.
Mmm…refried beans! The best refried beans that don’t take very long are these ones you can buy in Texas that are basically just dried out beans that you cook in boiling water. They’re SOOO good! I wish I could remember the brand!
Thanks. I just experimented and made some red beans in my pressure cooker. That’s it, no more canned beans. Beans are way to simple to make and the cost is fantastic. I look forward to your crockpot version. I think that would be supper easy too. I always heard you cannot cook them in a crockpot.
i wish i was mexican
Growing up in East L.A. and P.R., I loved home cooked pintos. It’s sad that they are so tough to find in my OC based Mexican restaurants. Maybe I’ll ship some upthis weekend. Thanks for the recipe!