Description
Vegan Charro Beans offer a plant-based twist on a traditional Mexican dish, featuring tender pinto beans simmered in a rich, smoky sauce infused with tomatoes, chiles, and aromatic spices.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans, cooked and rinsed, or 4 (16-ounce) cans of pinto beans, rinsed *see note
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 (10-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel), not drained
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- If using dried beans, soak and cook them according to package instructions until tender, then drain and rinse. If using canned beans, simply rinse and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Cook for 1 minute until the spices are aromatic.
- Add the undrained diced tomatoes, water or vegetable broth and beans to the aromatics. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and red wine vinegar to finish. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Serve warm as a side dish, taco filling, or over rice. Enjoy!
Notes
If you cook beans from dried, reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid that's left after the beans are cooked and use that in place of the 2 cups water or broth listed in the recipe. The starches in the leftover cooking liquid will make for a richer, thicker sauce.
See the blog post above for alternative directions to prepare this recipe in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 170
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 994.7 mg
- Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.3 g
- Fiber: 8.6 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg