A Big Pot of Simmered Pintos
Updated May 27, 2025
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes (includes 2 hours unsupervised simmering)
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound (about 2¼ cups) pinto beans, washed and picked over for stones, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight in 2 quarts water
- 1medium onion, cut in half
- 2 to 4large garlic cloves (to taste), minced
- 1bay leaf
- Salt to taste (I think beans need a lot, at least 1 teaspoon per quart of water used)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
274 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 224 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place beans and soaking water in a large, heavy pot. Add halved onion and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam that rises, then add garlic and bay leaf, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Add salt and continue to simmer another 1 to 1½ hours, until beans are quite soft and broth is thick and fragrant. Taste and adjust salt. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove and discard onion and bay leaf. For the best flavor refrigerate overnight.
- Advance preparation: The cooked beans will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and freeze well.
Private Notes
Comments
Thanks for adding this recipe. Although I already cook beans this way, but I've noticed that a lot of cookbooks and recipe sites don't provide a basic way to cook beans from scratch that are simply flavored. I learned this method from a Mexican cookbook.
The only thing I would recommend is adding a some olive or vegetable oil to the pot.
Regarding the salt, I generally add 1.5 tsp.
For refrigeration and freezing, is it better to store the beans in the cooking water or drained?
1 pound dried beans = 3 to 4 - 15oz cans or 57 ounces
Soaked beans overnight and cooked in soaking liquid. With the onions (which I quartered and did not remove at the end), I added 2 intant chicken bouillon cubes and 1 T. Tony Cachere No Salt Seasoning Blend. Continued to cook as directed. For the last 30 minutes of cook time, I added 14ozs of sliced and quartered andouille sausage. 5☆. 8.5.2025 (Brookie and Trace).
Made these exactly as written and they are delicious ! I added a little too much salt but will adjust. Making beans from scratch is always worth it. Appreciate the simplicity of this recipe.
When you simmer again for 1-1.5 hours, do you cover the pot again? It says to cover for the first 30 min (after adding garlic and bay leaves) but doesn’t say whether to cover after adding salt. Thanks!
@Scrappy I’ve wondered the same thing. I keep the pot covered, which results in a brothy bean.