Spicy and satisfying this Slow Cooker Gluten Free Pinto Bean Recipe is a new addition to my diet. Spice them up with fresh jalapenos and add bacon and cilantro for flavor. Bonus they’re very economical at pennies per serving!
Slow Cooker Gluten Free Pinto Bean Recipe
Pinto Beans are an easy, flavorful, and healthy side dish to go with all of your Tex-Mex, Mexican, and BBQ meals. As well, serve them for a simple, hearty vegetarian dinner!
Pinto beans contain important vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. In particular, they boast plenty of thiamine, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. They are also a great source of fiber and rich in antioxidants. (source)
Now, you may be asking yourself why I even bothered with pinto beans. I have a 15-pound bag of them. Yeah, for realz. You see, I ask a friend to bring a small bag of peas to a dinner party because I had forgotten to pick them up when I shopped. I only needed a few. All I wanted them for was to place on my serving tray and sit Deviled Eggs on top. Have you ever used that trick to keep Deviled Eggs in their place? Being the savvy shopper she is, the 15-pound bag was mere pennies more than the 8 oz bag so she grabbed them.
I have 15 pounds of pinto beans in my pantry that I hate to throw out! They’re fabulously healthy so I decided to cook some and see if my taste had changed since childhood. I’m so happy I did. They are delicious!
Eat the beans!
Also, it’s true what my mom told me as a child when I wouldn’t eat certain things,
“if you get hungry enough, you’ll eat almost anything.”
Yes, my friends, that has never been truer! I’m not really for dieting but thought I’d kick start 2014 with eating healthier and after doing a little research kind of designed my own detox, paleo, gluten-free eating plan. Which is to say, I’m not following any of them strictly, but just trying to eat more natural, healthy, non-processed foods.
The second part of any health plan is exercising. Now not everyone can or wants to run. Here’s a little chart to show calories burned comparing walking and running.
| Walk For | Run For | Calories burned |
| 20 minutes | 9 minutes | 100 |
| 30 minutes | 14 minutes | 150 |
| 45 minutes | 21 minutes | 225 |
| 60 minutes | 27 minutes | 300 |
| 90 minutes | 41 minutes | 450 |
| *based on a 150 lb female |
While you’re here, check out these recipes
- Spaghetti Pie
- Oven Roasted Rosemary Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Biscuits
- Tangy Teriyaki Scallops with Pineapple Mango Relish
- Pork Chops 3 Ways
Slow Cooker Gluten Free Pinto Bean Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups pinto beans
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 fresh jalapeno* seeded and diced
- 4 slices bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon dried cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh
- water
- 1 Tablespoon beef flavored better than bouillon paste
Instructions
- Sort through beans and remove any with spots on them.
- Soak beans in a large bowl of water 3 parts water to 1 part beans.
- Soak over-night.
- Drain and rinse the beans. Place in slow cooker and cover with fresh water to 1-inch above the beans
- Cook bacon to render some of the fat out. Add bacon and drippings to slow cooker with beans. Add bouillon, onions, jalapeno, salt, and pepper.
- Heat on high and cook 4 hours.
- Add cilantro 10 to 15 mintues before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
One month ago: Blueberry Jam Cookie Cups
One year ago: Family Fun Cheese Bread
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dianeroark says
These slow cooker pinto beans sound delicious!! Thanks for linking up at Saturday Dishes “CROCK-POT” blog hop.
I pinned it.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
recipesforourdailybread.com
Cathy McInnes says
I love pinto beans 🙂 I also buy them in very big bags! I love that you jazzed them up and did it in the crock pot! I am pinning this for my next Mexican food night 🙂
Paula says
Thank you, I’m a big fan now, I guess that’s good since we have so many :))
Lisa @ Je suis alimentageuse says
Mmmm pinto beans make me think of my time in Brazil! Love this recipe! I’ll probably leave out the bacon but I love me some good ol’ hearty beans. That chart for calories burned per minute for walking and running looks pretty handy too. Although it makes me wonder how I’m not a million pounds after blogging for two years. (I do not exercise nearly enough to off balance the food I eat lol)
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen says
I love beans! These look nice and flavorful. I would probably eat them over a bowl of rice with a little cheese on top!
Yvonne says
Growing up we always used fatback in our pinto beans. Everyone always said it was to take the gas out of the beans. It also adds a lot of flavor.
Paula says
We do that too, just didn’t have any this time and it was too cold to get out the other day and get some. I’ve used ham too, it was really good too.
Becca from It's Yummi! says
I’m ALSO one of those people whose mom sort of ruined certain foods. For me, it was Brussels sprouts and ANY type of legumes. I loved my mom, but umm… cooking wasn’t her forte.
If I can get the gusto, I’ll be sure to try your bean recipe. It does sound delicious! 🙂
Good luck on your healthy eating plan, Paula!
Paula says
I’m struggling with the no/low carbs! I don’t do potato salad or deviled eggs because my parents were determined my brother and I was going to eat (and like) them! My mom is a good cook on some things, but if she didn’t have something she’s just leave it out. That was good for me in a way, I learned you don’t have to follow a recipe exactly. But she took it to extremes. I’ll never forget she made this sausage and cheese casserole that I LOVED. I asked her to make it again some time later and she didn’t have sausage (?!) or another major ingredient. So bascially it was cheese rice! what?! (she’s probably going to read this now that I’ve ratted her out!!)
Kelly says
I wasn’t a fan of beans growing up either but love them now and yours look delicious! Love the sound of your spicy version with all these other great flavors in here and even better that you made them in the slow cooker 🙂
Paula says
Thanks, Kelly. I really tried not to like them when my husband suggested we make them, but I couldn’t help myself!
Gillian @ The Haas Machine says
Thanks for that exercise chart- that’s really helpful, not only to motivate me to walk, but also to remind myself how much I would have to walk if I want that 100, 200, or 300 calorie treat!
Paula says
I’m guilty of that, but it kind of works. Sometimes I don’t want to run and it helps to keep everything in check.
Sarah @ Beauty School Dropout says
Yum! I love making beans in the crockpot! I usually make them plain, though. Your recipe sounds delicious! Visiting from SITS sharefest.
Paula says
Thanks so much or stopping by! I love them this way. My husband likes spicy so he had these great suggestions!
Chris Nolan says
Can you elaborate on this “gluten free” eating? I thought gluten was something in wheat & then in flour. If you don’t put flour in beans/peas wouldn’t it automatically be a “gluten free” dish?
Thanks!
Paula says
Some naturally gluten free foods including pinto beans have added gluten in processing. These pinto beans do not.