Vegan Pinto Beans

This flavorful Vegan Pinto Beans recipe tastes amazing. It is simple and easy to prepare and costs pennies per serving! It is delicious served with rice, fries, cornbread or toasts.

It’s that time of year where soups, chili, and stews are just so much more appealing to the taste buds. The weather is cold here in Ohio-it is forecasted to be in the teens in the coming week! A hearty bowl of warm this Vegan Pinto Beans is definitely on the menu today.

How To Cook Pinto Beans

I must confess that I used organic canned beans for this recipe. I keep some on hand for emergencies, but I do prefer to use dried beans. With dried beans, you get more for your money, and you get to control the amount of sodium in the recipe.

The thing is, I don’t like to use the quick soak method when I don’t plan ahead and soak the beans overnight. This is what happened today when my hubby decided he wanted some chili fries. So I decided to “kill two birds with one stone” by getting two meals (Chili Fries), out of one recipe.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

•  tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water for sauteing
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• medium tomato chopped
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 – 15ounce cans (850g) or 3 cups cooked pinto beans (rinsed, drained and set aside)
•  1/2 cup (360ml) water or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste if using vegetable broth)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (optional) I used 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Garnish cilantro, red onion, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream

Directions:

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic, bell pepper, and celery and cook for 2 more minutes stirring.

Add Italian seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pinto beans, vegetable broth, yeast flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and chili.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until chili is at your desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with cilantro, red onion, vegan cheese and vegan sour cream.

Chef’s Tip: If you are using dried pinto beans, sort and wash 1 cup dried beans. Drain using a colander, place beans in a medium pot and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Allow beans to soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. The following morning, drain bean and rinse. Place beans in a large pot with water about 2-inches above the beans. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer for about 1 hour or until tender.