There’s something incredibly comforting about a bowl of Taco Beans. This humble dish, with its rich blend of pinto beans, ground meat, and flavorful spices, has been a staple in my family for years. It’s an everyday favorite that’s not only easy to prepare but also bursting with flavor. Whether it’s a chilly winter evening or a busy weeknight, these hearty beans always hit the spot. Originating from Mexican cuisine, where beans play a central role, Taco Beans have found their way into hearts and kitchens worldwide. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity, and the magic happens when the beans absorb the flavors of the other ingredients – resulting in a dish that’s more than the sum of its parts. What I love most about this recipe is its flexibility. You can adjust the spices to your liking, add more veggies for an extra crunch, or even swap the meat for a vegetarian alternative. No matter how you make it, one thing’s for sure – once you’ve tried these Taco Beans, there’s no going back!
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pinto beans
- 2 lb. ground meat
- 2 cans taco sauce
- 1 can roasted green chilies
- 1 (No. 2) can tomatoes
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 c. chopped bell pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 2 large onions
- 4 garlic buds
Cooking Method
- Cook beans.
- Brown meat, then add other ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add meat mixture to beans and simmer for one hour.
Calorie: 500
Total cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
The Epic Tale of Taco Beans
In the grand narrative of my life, there’s a chapter I like to call **The Great Pinto Invasion**. It started innocently enough; I found myself with 2 lb. of pinto beans at my disposal. What does one do with such a prodigious amount of legumes? Well, dear reader, they make Taco Beans.
The Bean Boiling Bonanza
The first step, as you may have guessed, was to cook the beans. Now, I’ve cooked a bean or two in my day, but these pinto beans… they were the divas of the legume world. They demanded a long, luxurious simmer, a bubble bath of sorts, before they’d even think about becoming Taco Beans. So, I humored them and let them cook.
The Magnificent Meat Melange
While the beans were having their spa day, I turned my attention to the 2 lb. of ground meat. Now, I’ve wrangled many a meat in my time, but this was like a rodeo. Try as I might, the ground meat insisted on clinging to the pan, like a stubborn child refusing to go to bed.
But fear not, for I had a secret weapon – 2 cans of taco sauce. The moment the sauce hit the pan, the meat surrendered, and the rodeo was over. Along with this, I threw in a can of roasted green chilies, a can of tomatoes (No. 2, for those keeping score at home), a sprinkle of chili powder, some chopped bell pepper, a dash of cumin, 2 large onions, and 4 garlic buds. This concoction simmered for 10 minutes, with the aromatic symphony wafting through my kitchen.
The Great Bean-Meat Union
Now, it was time to introduce the beans to their meaty counterparts. It was like a romantic novel, the beans and meat simmering together, their flavors mingling and getting to know each other. I let this simmer for an hour, because good things take time.
The Culinary Comedy
Now, I’d love to tell you that the tale ends here, with a perfect pot of Taco Beans, but alas, that would be a lie. You see, that hour of simmering? It also gave the beans and meat ample time to plot their escape. They popped and splattered all over my kitchen, making a mess that would have made a toddler proud. But hey, if cooking doesn’t get a little messy, are you even doing it right?
So there you have it, the epic tale of how I, your humble food blogger, made Taco Beans. It was a journey of pinto beans, ground meat, taco sauce, green chilies, tomatoes, chili powder, bell pepper, cumin, onions, and garlic. And while it wasn’t always pretty, the end result was utterly delicious. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a kitchen to clean.
