Homemade Restaurant-style Black Beans in the CrockPot
Published: Wed, 05/02/18
Happy Wednesday, Slow Cookerers!
I hope your week has been shaping up nicely.
I sent this recipe out in January -- but since then it's sort of taken on a life of it's own on Pinterest and Facebook and I get comments and emails about these beans weekly.
They are good beans.
:-)
Since Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, I wanted to share my favorite way to make Restaurant-Style Black Beans at home:
Mexican Black Beans
(click thru to see photos and reader reviews)
serves 8-10 as a side dish
1 pound black beans, soaked overnight, then drained
(if you don't have time to soak overnight, no problem. Put them in a large pot, and cover completely with water. Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes, then turn off stove and cover pot. Let your beans sit for 1 hour, then drain water and put beans into crockpot)
6 cups chicken broth (if vegetarian, use veggie broth; I'm concerned water won't provide enough flavor)
6 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker.
Soak your beans overnight and drain (or use quick soaking method described above).
I've heard that you should water your outside plants with the bean water, but I've never done so--- I really should give that a try.
Put the drained beans into your slow cooker, then add the chopped garlic, broth, tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder.
Stir well to combine.
I used bouillon cubes for my broth.
If you're on a low-sodium diet, you may want to use low-sodium broth, or only use 5 cups and then 1 cup of water--- I've been cutting out salt and these beans tasted salty to me, but Adam and the kids thought they just tasted "good"---
cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
If you live in a high altitude area, you may need to cook for longer.
We're at sea level and my beans were perfect at 8 hours.
The Verdict.
My entire family loves these beans. We make them often, and serve to friends when they are over for a Taco or Fajita night.
The seasoning is fantastic--- the cumin and chili powder complement each other nicely and I liked the bits of tomato and garlic.
If you want some heat, opt for a can of tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)-- there is no heat here, just flavor.
This morning, the beans have soaked in more of the liquid, but taste marvelous, even cold.
If you'd like to freeze in batches, be aware that the beans will break down a bit-- no biggie, unless you'd like them picture-perfect.
PS: the website is acting really really wonky today.
Thank you for all the emails letting me know, I appreciate it!
The tech people are working on it, and hopefully everything will be up and running smoothly in the next little bit.
have a great day, and thanks again. steph