How to Cook Pinto Beans in a Pressure Cooker

There are several ways to eat pinto beans. Eat them whole in broth, mash them, or try the re-fried version, different recipes call for unique preparation. If you're making rice and beans, you will use the whole beans in broth and serve it with either cornbread or corn tortillas, make chili, or serve with fajitas.

For mashed and re-fried preparation, they are basically used for making dips, spread over nachos, or as a filling in burritos. Have pinto beans in whichever manner, they won't fail to taste delicious every time. And with different preparation comes the knowledge of cooking them separately as well.

Now if you're not sure as to what you wish to make, but are confident that pinto beans are going to be a definite 'yes' for lunch or dinner, then try cooking them in a pressure cooker.

Regardless of how you use them later on, the beans will come out soft, juicy, and filled with flavor. As you read the rest of the story, you will find the quickest and easiest way of cooking pinto beans. Take a look.

Before we learn to cook pinto beans, you need to remember, the dry beans need to be soaked in warm water overnight (around 8 to 12 hours). Take 1 lb. pinto beans and submerge them completely in water. Make sure you put at least 2 fingers measurement more water with the beans. Overnight, beans will soak up some of the water. The next day...

• Drain the water out of the beans you soaked and wash them under running water a few times. In a 6 qt. pressure cooker, add the beans along with twice as much clean water and 1 ham hock.
• We use the ham hock to add flavor into the beans. If you want, you can even use bacon drippings instead of the ham hock. Place the lid of the pressure cooker on and lock it.

• When there is hot air coming out, you need to place the regulator on top of the valve. The regulator needs to begin hissing in order to count the actual cooking time.
• After the hissing sound begins, let the beans cook for about an hour or so. When this time is up, turn the pressure cooker off, and place it on the side.

• There shouldn't be any pressure left inside the cooker before you open it. So make sure you don't try to open the lid in a hurry.
• If you are short on time, you can place the pressure cooker under cold running water. Once the pressure has escaped, open the lid and add a little bit of salt.

• Do a taste test before you add the salt just to make sure you won't over-season the beans. Gently stir the beans to mix salt properly.

The pinto beans are ready for serving. Try them with fried potatoes, grilled onions, and cornbread. They taste fantastic.

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons oregano, dried
• 1 lb. low-fat ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, dried

• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon Spike seasoning
• 1 cup dried pinto beans
• 1 cup cooking beans
• 1 can tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup green onions, sliced
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

To make this pressure cooker pinto beans recipe , follow the steps mentioned above to cook the beans in the pressure cooker along with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Meanwhile, take a pan and pour 2 teaspoons olive in to cook ground beef with Spike seasoning in.

Sauté the beef till it turns brown and remove into a bowl. In the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onion till they begin to brown. Add minced garlic next with oregano, ground cumin, and dried cilantro in. Mix everything properly for about couple of minutes.

When the beans are ready, reserve the water from the pressure cooker. In the same pan, add cooked ground beef in with the beans and mix well. Stir the ingredients together and pour chicken stock in the used pan.

Simmer the stock and let it soak up all the flavor from the pan (scrape the bottom of the pan properly). Add the liquid in the pressure cooker along with the reserved beans water. In the end, you will add tomato paste and diced tomatoes in. Pour this mixture inside the pressure cooker and close the lid.

Cook for 2 to 5 minutes at high pressure and then turn it off. Wait for the pressure to release on its own and then open the lid. To serve, sprinkle green onion and fresh cilantro on top. Squeeze fresh lime juice, as per your taste, and give everything a good stir one last time. Serve the soup and enjoy.

Cooking pinto beans is quite easy. All you need to do is follow the recipe, sometimes bring in your own (unique) flavors, and prepare better recipes. And one more thing... try the beef and pinto beans soup recipe given above. Trust me, it tastes like heaven.