Pinto Bean

With the help of a few pantry staples, you can get all the flavors of slow-simmered chili in just 30 minutes.

Bush’s® chicken sausage sandwiches with beans and pickled pepper and onion relish

Bush’s® Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops

Most people have heard of a torta—one of the traditional sandwiches of Mexico—but the cemita is its own unique breed of Mexican sandwich.

This spicy vegetarian pasta is packed with heat from chipotle chile powder and fresh jalapeños. Pinto beans and canned tomatoes round out the dish and make it extremely easy to put together.

This easy chili is a cross between chile verde and white chicken chili, an effortless and hearty dinner that’s perfect for weeknights.

Serve this lightly spiced, last-minute bean dip with tortilla chips and watch it disappear before half-time.

When I was pregnant with my son, all I wanted in life was Mexican food. This was a dish I came up with to satisfy some of those cravings in a mindful way, rather than constantly caving to my ultimate weakness: chips and salsa (which I would happily have eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Most store-bought lard (the traditional fat in refried beans) is nearly flavorless, unlike chicken fat, which is delicious and readily available.

The rich Spanish flavors of smoked paprika and Marcona almonds are balanced by the bright freshness of parsley and celery in this update on a classic side dish.

Bacon-wrapped franks, pinto beans, avocado, and mayo are balanced by pickled jalapeños and salsa in this summertime favorite.

The key to crispy nachos is to limit the number of ingredients that go into the oven with the chips. These start with three essential ingredients: a dollop of homemade pinto bean dip, sliced jalapeños, and plenty of grated cheddar.

Here is another great side dish for tacos. The beans have a smoky taste from the bacon and smoked salt that makes them a particularly good match for meaty, northern-style dishes featuring beef, lamb, or pork. These pintos are spicier than black beans because of the jalapeños, and you don’t need to cook them as long—just until they are soft. Serve them in bowls with their juices—a perfect addition to any barbecue menu. They’re also hearty enough to be served alone as a meal.

The word charro refers to the original cowboys of the New World, the Mexican and Spanish men who handled the cattle on the large ranches of Mexico and California, and then Texas and the Southwest. The entire cow culture—the hats, saddles, ropes, boots—was brought here by Spanish explorers and settlers. These men lived a nomadic life that revolved around the search for the best seasonal pastures for their herds. Meals were always prepared over open campfires, giving food a smokiness that is forever associated with cowboy cooking. Beans were a common side dish, and the smoked salt in this recipe helps to replicate those robust and smoky flavors. The beans will hold for one week in the refrigerator, and their versatility makes them handy to have around.

You can control the heat of this chili by increasing or decreasing the number of chiles; be sure to have good ventilation over the stove when pan-roasting them. If you have two large cast-iron skillets, save time by using both at once. If you like, serve the chili with other traditional garnishes, such as shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.

Before or after the football game, a “bowl of red” is a sure winner.

Back in the 1970s before the whole world was a mouse-click away, Min’s grandfather, Lee Almy, a guy who took his beans very seriously, had pintos shipped down to Carlsbad, New Mexico, from Cortez, a small town in the prized pinto-bean-producing southwestern corner of Colorado. He flavored these superior beans simply with chili powder and salt. Min’s dad, Max, adds a can of Rotel tomatoes and a leftover hambone when available and simmers them in a slow cooker. Min’s aunt Betty is a purist and cooks her pintos plain, seasoned only with salt and sometimes chopped ham. Aunt Sarah, from a long line of ranchers across Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico, cooks pintos the way her mama taught her—unsoaked beans and a hunk of salt pork in the pressure cooker for an hour and a half. Then she simmers them with a little fresh garlic. Whichever way you cook them, serve with cornbread, sliced raw onion, slices of fresh jalapeño pepper, and the cheater meat of your choosing.

If a meal I’m making needs a little protein boost, I must admit that the first thing I think of reaching for is tofu. But since we already use plenty of soy foods, I try to remind myself to consider beans instead. Beans of all kinds are inexpensive and delicious nutritional powerhouses—in short, a food category that deserves daily attention.

Here’s my favorite recipe from this book’s predecessor, Vegetarian Express, now out of print. I just had to bring it forward to this book; it’s one of those dishes that saves the day when you’re low on fresh groceries, since it’s made largely of pantry and freezer staples. It’s also a reliable dish for feeding last-minute company. In this slightly updated version, I’ve added homemade vegan sour cream (which is entirely optional, but adds a big “yum” factor to the dish) and a variation of an added vegetable layer.