Do you have an instant pot? I’ve had mine for a couple years now, and while I don’t use it every day (or even every week) I have found a few things that I love to cook in it – roast (for a quicker, weeknight version), any recipe that requires you to brown/sear the meat before slow-cooking (you can totally use it as a slow cooker too and then just one dirty dish!), fall-off-the-bone ribs (then grill/broil), a whole chicken, and now dry BEANS (see this chili)! Of course there are lots of other things you can cook in your instant pot, but unless it’s something that takes a while to cook I feel like it’s not really “worth it” because you have to factor in extra time for the instant pot to come to pressure and actually start cooking. This can take several minutes, depending on what you are making. But that’s me….maybe you use yours every day??
Anyway, back to the beans ;). I’ll ask Jason what I should make for dinner and about once a month, he will request pinto beans. I like beans, but it’s just not something that I ever think about making…until now. I’m not complaining though, because beans are a healthy, easy, and cheap dinner! The only problems is, that you do need a few hours to let them cook – especially if you don’t soak them overnight or do a quick soak. My solution – 38 minutes in the instant pot!! Worked like a charm. It does still take about an hour by the time it comes up to pressure, but you don’t have to babysit them – you can just walk away! I kept mine simple, seasoning only with some salt, but feel free to jazz them up with any flavors you like. I love mexican/spicy flavors (Jason not so much) and think they’d be delicious with some garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno! Enjoy!
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
1 lb dry pinto beans
5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1. Combine all ingredients in instant pot. Seal lid and set to manual, high pressure for 38 minutes.
2. Once time is up, allow natural release. Taste and adjust salt as desired.
