Chipotle Pinto Beans
My version of Chipotle's old-school pinto beans, cooked from dried with onion, bay leaves, adobo paste made from dried Morita chiles and a slice of bacon (Chipotle's beans had bacon until 2013). It serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes of hands-on work in a pressure cooker, plus 8 to 12 hours of soaking.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 450kcal
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan
Ingredients
Citrus Juice
- 2 small limes this is a ratio; scale up as needed
- 1 large lemon
Adobo Pinto Beans
- 1 lb dried pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt final seasoning; adjust to taste
- neutral oil
- ½ cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoon chipotle adobo paste see my Chipotle adobo paste recipe
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt final seasoning; adjust to taste
- 1 slice bacon optional; Chipotle's beans had it until 2013
- 6 cups water for pressure cooker; add more for stovetop
- 2 tablespoon citrus juice lemon/lime blend
- 5 teaspoon Morton kosher salt final seasoning; adjust to taste
Instructions
Make the Citrus Juice
- Juice 2 small limes and 1 large lemon. Strain out all pulp and seeds. This is a ratio, not a fixed quantity. Scale up as needed. Store in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it.
Cook the Pinto Beans
- Pick through the dried beans, removing any broken beans or small stones. Dissolve 1 to 2 tablespoons of kosher salt in water and pour it over the beans. Add more water until the beans are covered by about 2 inches. Soak for 8 to 12 hours. No need to refrigerate.
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat and sweat the diced yellow onion until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the soaked beans to a pressure cooker or large pot with the sweated onion, adobo sauce, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the bacon strip if using. Add 6 cups of water (more for stovetop). Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, or simmer on the stovetop for 1 to 2 hours until tender.
- Test the beans for tenderness. Remove the bay leaves. Season with 2 tablespoons of citrus juice and 5 teaspoons of kosher salt, or to taste.
Video
Notes
The bacon: It's optional. Chipotle's own ingredient list had bacon in the pinto beans in 2013, and their beans are vegan now, so leave it out for the current version.
The salt: Five teaspoons for a pound of beans looks like a lot, but they need it. Taste them and keep adding salt or citrus juice until they taste right to you. People who've worked at Chipotle have said it uses Morton's coarse kosher salt, so the salt on this card is Morton kosher salt (about 4.8 grams a teaspoon). If you only have Morton table salt, use about a fifth less by the spoon.
Salting the soak: Salt in the soaking water helps the beans take in water evenly, so they don't burst when they cook. They don't need to go in the fridge while they soak.
The adobo paste: The 2 tablespoons come from my Chipotle adobo paste recipe, the same paste that seasons the chicken and the steak.
Black beans: Black beans work with the same recipe; as far as I know, Chipotle's are made basically the same way, without the bacon.
Storage: Get the beans into the fridge within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days (the USDA's guidance for cooked leftovers); reheat them to 165°F.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 450kcal