Mexican Charro Pinto Beans in Instant Pot or Crock Pot
A plant-based, vegetarian version of Mexican restaurant-style charro beans. Spicy and full of flavor, these pinto beans are delicious in tacos, nachos, tostadas or as a side to any TexMex meal. Instructions included for Instant Pot or Crock Pot (slow cooker).
Add washed beans to crockpot and add enough water to cover the beans with at least 2-3 inches of water on top.
Add 1 of the chopped onions, half of the garlic, the oregano and bay leaf to beans. Cover and turn the crockpot on high or low, depending on how long you want it to cook. On high, these will cook in about 4-5 hours. On low, they will cook in about 7-8 hours (please see food safety note in blog post above about cooking on low).
Do NOT add salt at the beginning. It can prevent the beans from getting tender.
Once the beans are tender, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion, garlic, the celery and jalapeño to the skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the veggies start to brown and char a little. Add a tablespoon of water, as needed, if they start to stick to the pan. Turn down the heat, if they are burning.
Once the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes and stir well to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.
Add sautéed vegetables to the crock pot, along with chopped cilantro, black pepper and salt and stir gently.
Allow the flavors to combine for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve piping hot.
Instant Pot Instructions
Add washed beans to Instant Pot (at least 6 quart size or bigger) and fill with water to the 6 cup mark inside the Instant Pot insert (there should be about 2-3 inches of water on top of the beans).
Add 1 of the chopped onions, half of the garlic, the oregano and bay leaf. Do NOT add salt at the beginning. It can prevent the beans from getting tender. Lock Instant Pot lid on top and turn the valve to "sealing". Press the "Beans" button and increase time to 45 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot is done, leave it alone to allow it to slowly release the pressure for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion, garlic, the celery and jalapeño to a skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the veggies start to brown and char a little. Add a tablespoon of water, as needed, if they start to stick to the pan. Turn down the heat, if they are burning.
Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and stir well to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.
Then, with a long spoon, turn the valve on the Instant Pot to "venting" to allow the remaining steam escape. Be careful of the very hot steam! Once steam has escaped and the lid has unlocked, remove lid.
Add sautéed vegetables to the Instant Pot, along with cilantro, black pepper and salt and stir gently.
Allow the flavors to combine for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve piping hot.
Notes
To make this with canned pinto beans, follow all of the instructions for the Instant Pot, but cook under pressure for just 5 minutes. Or, cook on stove with canned pintos by sautéing all the vegetables first, then add the beans, 1-2 cups of water and simmer until flavors have combined and everything is piping hot (about 20 minutes).