I’m always looking for bean recipes. Always.
Recently, I saw recipes for Charro Beans (Mexican Cowboy Beans) posted on the Internet. They all had bacon as an ingredient.
I decided to experiment with the recipe. I ended up with three variations on the original recipe. First, you can achieve a delicious bean dish by including chipotle chili powder and smoked paprika in the dish–no bacon required. Secondly, the dish is “meaty” and wonderful tasting with the addition of mushrooms sauteed in butter. Finally, you can further enhance the texture of the chili by adding in a plant-based meat substitute like Impossible Burger and Soyrizo (a plant-based “take” on chorizo.)
Serve your chili with all the garnishes you crave. Indulgently, I topped my chili with grated cheddar, sliced black olives, salsa, and chopped green onions.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Charro Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound Rancho Gordo Pinquito Beans (or pinto beans)
- 2 T. vegetable oil
- 2 C. white onion (diced)
- 1/4 C. japalpeno chiles (diced)
- 2 t. chipotle chili powder
- 1 to 2 T. chili powder (or to your taste)
- 5 small cloves garlic (diced)
- 1 t. ground cumin
- 1 t. dried coriander
- 1 t. smoked paprika
- 1 15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 C. vegetable broth
- 1 T. molasses
- Salt (to taste)
- 10 oz. sautéed mushrooms (chopped)
- 1 pkg. (12 oz.) Impossible Burger (sautéed--optional)
- 6 oz. (1 /2 package) Soyrizo (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Soak dried beans overnight in water. Drain the next morning and cook the beans in an Instant pot according to the manufacturers directions. Alternatively, use canned beans or boil soaked dry beans on the stovetop until done.
- Step 2 Sauté onion and jalapeños in oil until they are soft. Add Chipotle chili powder, medium hot chili powder, garlic, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Continue to sauté for a minute or so until the spices are fragrant.
- Step 3 Add beans, bean liquid, fire-roasted tomatoes, molasses and broth, stirring to combine. Simmer for about half an hour. Now, if you want to enhance the texture of your chili, add any or all of the optional ingredients.Sauté Impossible Beef and set aside.
- Step 4 Sauté Soyrizo and set aside. Stir in sautéed Impossible Beef, sautéed Soyrizo and/or sautéed mushrooms.
- Step 5 Serve garnished with cheese, cilantro and salsa.
- Step 6 Cook’s Note: Soyrizo is a vegetarian version of chorizo. It is available in most supermarkets and at Trader Joe’s. Also, if your chili is more liquid than you like, you can thicken it by making a slurry of fine masa and water and boil for a bit longer.
