Cheesy Charro Beans Recipes

EASY 'CHARRO' BEANS

Steps:

• Fry bacon strips in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towels. Reserve 1/2 cup bacon drippings.
• Place drippings in a large pot, and warm over medium heat. Fry onions until light brown. Stir in ham and chorizo. Reserve 1 cup of beans, and add the rest to the pot, along with the chipotle and garlic.
• Mash the reserved beans, then add to the pot. Simmer beans until thick and soupy, about 30 minutes. (If the beans become too dry, stir in water). Remove chipotle and garlic, and serve.

CHARRO BEANS - AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Add the rinsed beans to a large pot with plenty of water, salt, and a small piece of onion.
• Let boil for about 1.5 hours, checking often to make sure that there is still enough water.
• Add the rinsed beans to a slow cooker with plenty of water, salt, and a small piece of onion.
• Turn the slow cooker on to high and heat for 3 hours.
• Add the bacon to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add the chorizo and continue cooking until cooked through.
• After about 5 minutes, add the ham, the beef franks, and the seasonings (including the garlic).
• Next, add the tomatoes, the cilantro, the onion, the jalapeno, and the chipotle pepper and cook for 5 additional minutes.
• Finally, add the cooked pinto beans and the water that they were cooked in and let boil for about 15 minutes so that all of the flavors can combine.
• If you want to thicken your charro beans, you can combine 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 1/4 cup of cold water and mix well before adding it to the pot.
• Serve hot as a side dish or on its own.

CHEESY CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Cook bacon in Dutch oven or large deep skillet on medium heat just until bacon starts to turn crisp, stirring occasionally. Add onions; cook 5 min. or until tender, stirring frequently.
• Add beans, chicken broth and peppers; mix well. Bring to boil; simmer on medium-low heat 10 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in half each of the cheese and cilantro. Remove from heat.
• Top with remaining cheese and cilantro.

EASY COWBOY BEANS (FRIJOLES CHARROS)

Steps:

• Combine pinto beans, tomatoes with green chile peppers, ham, cilantro, red onion, garlic, black pepper, and hot sauce in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.

CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Pour dry beans into a colander and rinse them off, removing any unwanted pieces. Add to a large pot with 6 cups of water (or enough to cover them by about 2 inches), a small chunk of onion, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours, until the beans are tender, but not bursting. (Mine usually take about 1 hour but depends on how dry/old your beans are). Check them a few times during cooking to make sure they are covered in water and add a little more water if needed.
• Once the beans are tender, drain them, reserving the liquid and pouring it into a measuring cup. Add additional water (or reduce liquid if needed) to make 2 ½ cups of total liquid. Stir in 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Set aside.
• Add the bacon and chorizo to a large pot and cook for about 5 minutes or until bacon is cooked. Remove some of the grease. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add ham (sausages, if using), diced tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, oregano, paprika, cumin, black pepper and cook for 5 additional minutes.
• Add cooked beans and broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, or additional spices if needed. Garnish with cilantro before serving.
• Serve as a main dish, wish warm tortillas, or as a side dish. When serving as a side dish I like to thicken the beans by adding a cornstarch slurry at the end (1 tablespoon of corn starch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water).

CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Give the tomatoes a good rinse and roast them in the oven at 400F for approximately 20 minutes or until you need them.
• Chop up the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned (approx. 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the bacon pieces).
• Chop up a 1/2 onion and add it the bacon. I usually reduce heat to mediumish after the bacon is cooked. Let the onion cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.
• Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook briefly, 30-60 seconds.
• Add the roasted tomatoes to the pan (roughly chopping them up in the pan is fine). Also add: 2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed), 3 minced chipotles in adobo, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 cups of stock (or water). Combine well and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced down a bit.
• Salt to taste. I added another generous pinch to this batch (so that is approx. 1 teaspoon total) but keep in mind that if you are using store-bought stock that's high in sodium then you won't need to add as much salt. You can also add more heat at this point if you want a more fiery batch.
• Serve immediately. Note that these beans are best served in some of the broth.
• Alternatively, you can use part of the batch to make a bean puree. Simply add them to a blender or food processor and combine into a puree.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

SLOW COOKER CHARRO BEANS

Steps:

• Place the beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any stones or shriveled beans.
• Cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain, chop, and set aside.
• Pour the beans into the slow cooker. Cover with water and beef broth. Add chopped bacon, garlic, jalapeño (if using), cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or until almost done. Stir in the Rotel and chopped cilantro; cover and cook for an additional hour or until tender (the total cooking time will likely be between 8 to 10 hours, depending on how hot your particular slow cooker runs). When the beans are done, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste (stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt at a time, tasting before adding more).