I don’t need to be on a Dave Ramsey menu to enjoy some beans and rice. Or rice and beans. Black bean soup is amazing as well. Which is pretty much the same recipe with some extra liquid and seasonings and slightly beaten up beans after cooking. Top with sour cream, lime juice and cilantro. Ta-da! But’s lets focus on good old fashioned seasoned black beans today. Yes? Good.
Now to start… I cheat. I don’t soak my beans. I should. You should. But I almost never do. If you do it will cut down on some of the gassiness beans tend to cause so you really should consider it. That is if you dump and rinse off the soaking water.
The directions for pre-soaked beans are much the same except you cut down the cooking time in the pressure cooker by as much as half. So if you soak your beans at least 4 hours you only need to cook them for 20 minutes, if you don’t soak cook them for 40.
You ALWAYS need to sort and rinse your dried beans. I know it seems silly but the first time you find a stone in the bag you’ll understand why. (true story) Sort through them and give them a quick rinse. Set aside.
Chop up your veggies and saute with olive oil in your pressure cooker for just a minute or two. Just soften them a bit. Toss in your seasonings and beans. Add water. Cover and set your timer.
Alternatively if you don’t have a pressure cooker you’ll need to soak the beans overnight to start. Assemble in a pot big enough to hold everything, cover with a well fitted lid and simmer over very low heat for about 6 hours. You may find you can turn off the heat after 4 1/2 or need up to 7 hours. So I would plan on cooking them early on in the day and turn the heat off if needed until dinner time.
The first few times you cook beans from scratch you’ll want to check them consistently for liquid levels. They should always be covered in liquid. Add more as necessary and turn down the heat if you need to add more liquid every time you check.
Ingredients
Method
- If not using pressure cooker pre-soak beans overnight.If using pressure cooker you may pre-soak beans for several hours but it is not necessary. Sort and rinse beans before soaking or cooking, be sure to check for any foreign material.
- Drain and rinse beans if pre-soaked. Set aside. Chop veggies and saute lightly in olive oil. When onion starts to turn translucent (about 2 minutes) add all spices and seasonings, beans, and water or broth.
- You can use the lesser amount for pre-soaked beans. Or more than suggested if you want extra liquid to bean ratio in the final product.
- Cover with lid and cook:20 minutes for pre-soaked beans in pressure cooker. 40 minutes for dried beans in pressure cooker.Quick release pressure.~6 hrs for pre-soaked beans on stovetop over very low heat.
I am interested in trying this recipe but I can’t find the amount of dry black beans it calls for. Also do you do quick or natural release.
Thank you for pointing that out Sheilina. I was so concerned measuring my spices I forgot to put the amount of beans on my list of ingredients when I wrote it out! I use two cups of dried beans and a quick release. (I’m not patient enough to wait for a natural release!) Enjoy!