These delicious Saucy Pinto Beans go great with Mexican dishes. They’re gluten-free, anti-inflammatory, easy-to-make, and delicious!
You might think that living in the South means that one naturally makes delicious pinto beans. If that is true, then I am an exception. I can thank my northern roots for that, I guess.
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Thanks to this Saucy Pinto Bean recipe for the Instant Pot from Maryea Flaherty (HappyHealthyMama.com), I can now make delicious pinto beans and you can, too.
The recipe comes from Maryea’s cookbook, The “I Love My Instant Pot®” Anti-Inflammatory Diet Recipe Book: From Orange Ginger Salmon to Apple Crisp, 175 Easy and Delicious Recipes That Reduce Inflammation (“I Love My” Series). 
There’s a whisper of heat thanks to the jalapeño.
You can serve these as a tasty side dish or over a bowl of rice as a simple, main course. The choice is yours.
Let’s look at how to make pinto beans in an Instant Pot.
🥘 Ingredients
For this healthy side dish recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (2 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 medium jalapeno seeded and diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
🔪 How To Make Saucy Pinto Beans
To make it, place the dry beans in a bowl and cover with 3” water. Soak the beans for 4-8 hours. Drain the beans.
Press the Sauté button of the Instant Potâ and add the oil. After the oil heats 1 minute add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add soaked beans, stock, tomato sauce, chili powder, mustard, oregano, cumin, pepper, bay leaves, and salt to the inner pot. Stir well to combine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Close the lid and turn the steam release valve to the sealing position.
Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust the time to 25 minutes.
When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally until the float valve drops, and then unlock the lid.
Remove and discard the bay leaves and then transfer the beans to a bowl for serving. Store any leftover cooked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you are a pinto bean lover or have never had them, this is a recipe that you will like. Try it and see for yourself. They make a great side dish or you could even eat them with the main course served with a side of cornbread.
FAQ
It typically takes approximately 25 minutes for pinto beans to cook in an Instant Pot.
Working with Dry Pinto Beans:
- Soak the beans prior to cooking. Be sure to have enough water to cover them entirely. In fact, have more than enough. Dry pinto beans increase in size as they soak up fluids.
- For this recipe, you can soak your beans before going to work and they will be recipe ready when you get home hours later, just in time to make dinner.
- Some people swear that soaking the beans with a little bit of salt helps to make them tender.
Fun Facts About Pinto Beans
- Beans are a nutrition powerhouse known as legumes. While they are healthy, they can cause gas. Soaking the beans and discarding the soaking water helps to minimize the unpleasant side effect.
- One cup of cooked pinto beans has 15.4 grams of protein.
- You could substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock to make this a vegan/vegetarian dish.
📖 Recipe
Saucy Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pinto beans (1 pound)
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 medium jalapeno seeded and diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the beans in a bowl and cover with 3” water. Soak the beans 4-8 hours. Drain the beans.
- Press the Sauté button of the Instant Potâ and add the oil. After the oil heats 1 minute add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add soaked beans, stock, tomato sauce, chili powder, mustard, oregano, cumin, pepper, bay leaves, and salt to the inner pot. Stir well to combine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Secure the lid.
- Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust the time
to 25 minutes. - When the timer beeps, let pressure release naturally until float valve drops and then unlock lid.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves and then transfer the beans to a bowl for serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The “I Love My Instant Pot” Anti-Inflammatory Diet Recipe Book
I am still working my way through the book which has 175 recipes to make in our favorite pressure cooker, the Instant Pot. Some of the recipes that have piqued my interest include: Easiest Vanilla Pumpkin Pudding, Coconut Lentil Chickpea Bowls with Kale, Vegetable “Cheese” Sauce, Coconut Curry Lentils, Jasmine Rice with Mushrooms, Spicy Black Beans, Healthier Refried Beans, Chili Lime Black Beans, Comforting Lentil Balls, Vegetarian Unstuffed Cabbage Soup, and “Cheesy” Broccoli Cauliflower Soup.
I like that the book includes some basic recipes for using your Instant Pot, like Basic Quinoa, Basic Chickpeas, and Black Beans. I feel like it gives me some control because I can purchase organic dry beans/peas and use filtered water to make nourishing food without additives or preservatives.
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