TACO PASTA

~ Bethany Weathersby

1 lb. shaped pasta
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. taco seasoning
3 c. refried beans without the refry
6 oz. can olives, chopped
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
15 oz. can tomato sauce
7 oz. can diced green chiles

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta to desired tenderness. Drain and set aside in pot.

Meanwhile in large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in taco seasoning, beans, olives, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chiles. Add meat and bean mixture to pot of pasta and stir over medium heat until heated through.

Notes: We use homemade taco seasoning and beans, but you can certainly use a seasoning packet and canned beans from the store. If  you want to kick things up a notch, add a dollop of avocado dressing to individual servings.

HOLDEN VEGGIES

~ Cynthia Hockman-Chupp

1 c. chopped onion
2 c. thinly sliced carrots
2 c. chopped summer squash
1 c. chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 c. corn
1 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
cooked beans (optional)
1 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
1/2 t. salt
garlic or garlic powder, to taste
cayenne, to taste
cilantro, to taste
sour cream (optional)
grated cheese (optional)

Saute onions and carrots while chopping other vegetables. Add squash and bell pepper, then saute for 2-3 minutes. Add corn, tomatoes, and beans, if desired, along with seasonings, and cook until vegetables are soft. 

Notes: The quantities are totally flexible. I sometimes skip the coriander if we don't have it on hand and use fresh garlic that I toss in with the carrots and onion. I've served this a variety of ways - without cheese and with cotija, with and without cilantro, with and without sour cream or avocado dressing, with zukes instead of summer squash, and in various combinations of veggies, rice, and crockpot beans. You could also serve this as a topping for haystacks, in a tortilla, or with cornbread. 

CREAMY BEAN CASSEROLE WITH LIME & CILANTRO

~ Bethany Weathersby

6 flour tortillas
1 c. salsa
4 c. crockpot beans or 2 cans black or pinto beans
1/2 c. sliced olives
1 c. sour cream
1 c. chopped cilantro
2 T. lime juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour enough salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 pan to just coat it. Place two tortillas next to each other on the bottom of the pan. Spread two cups of beans over them. Repeat layers, then top with two tortillas. Spread remaining salsa over tortillas, then sprinkle with olives. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Place a dollop of sour cream mixture on each serving.

MEXICAN BAKED EGGS WITH BLACK BEANS, TOMATOES, AND CHILES

~ Kalyn's Kitchen

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 4 cups crockpot beans)
7 oz. can diced green chiles
12 eggs
1/2 c. grated cheese
optional garnishes - chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, lime juice, avocado dressing 

Heat oil in frying pan with deep sides and saute onions for 2 minutes. Add cumin and chili powder, sauteing another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, drained beans, and chiles to onion mixture and simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. While mixture is simmering, preheat oven to 450 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Spread about half of the bean mixture in 9x13 pan, then carefully break eggs over the top. Spread remaining bean mixture around eggs, being careful to not cover the yolks. Bake for ten minutes or until eggs are starting to look set, but are still wet. 

Remove pan from oven, change settings to broil, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Place pan back in oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven while yolk is still a little bit soft. Serve with optional garnishes.

Notes: My family likes this dish best when we put all the beans on the bottom instead of putting half around the eggs. We all hate runny eggs, so ours are cooked, but still soft. You can check out the link to Kalyn's Kitchen at the top of the post to see directions for making this in individual dishes. It goes well with rice and/or Mexican layer salad for a larger meal.

TACO CASSEROLE

~ Bethany Weathersby

6 flour tortillas
4 c. crockpot beans
1 lb. ground turkey, browned and mixed with 2 T. taco seasoning
6 oz. can olives, chopped
1/4 c. salsa
1 c. grated cheese of your choice
cilantro
lime wedges
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray 9x13-inch pan.  Place two tortillas in bottom of pan, then layer with half of the beans, turkey, and olives.   Repeat layers.  Place two remaining tortillas on top, spread with salsa, and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.  Garnish with cilantro, lime wedges, and sour cream, as desired.  Makes eight servings. 

Notes: This recipe is one of our variations on Taco Tuesday.  I always have quart-sized bags of beans and one pound bags of taco-seasoned turkey in the freezer, so I just pull one bag of each out in the morning to use for dinner that evening.

CORN & BEAN SALAD

~ Maryanne Gobble

8 small (4-5 inch) ears of corn
vegetable or olive oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
chili powder, to taste
4 c. crockpot beans
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 - 1 small onion, chopped
1 c. chopped cilantro
1 lime, cut into 12 wedges

Place oven rack 4-6 inches from top burner, then turn broiler to high. Rub or spray a little oil onto the corn, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Place corn on pan and broil 8-10 minutes, turning once. Once the corn has cooled enough to handle, cut kernels off the cob and into a large bowl.

Add beans, garlic, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro to corn and toss well. Serve lime wedges separately to allow people to add as much juice as they prefer. 

Makes about 12 cups. 

Notes: I suppose you could use canned pinto or black beans for this, but that's pretty unappealing when you can always have quart-sized bags of crockpot beans in the freezer. I don't like a ton of oil on my corn, so I just give it a quick spray to help the spices stick. It's great as is, scooped up with tortilla chips, served over a bed of lettuce and/or spinach, garnished with avocado dressing, or eaten alongside cornbread.

EASY DRIED BEANS

dried beans
water
salt (optional)

Put beans, water, and salt in crockpot.  Cook for 3-8 hours (see notes).

Notes: I've been making a combo of black and pinto beans in the crockpot for many years now. I used to make a double batch about every two weeks, freeze them in four cup increments in quart-sized freezer bags, and use them on Taco Tuesday and in any recipe that calls for pinto or black beans. As our family has grown, I now make a double batch at least once a week and rarely need to freeze them. I recently shared the recipe with my friend Maryanne. She liked them so much that she decided to try garbanzo beans in the crockpot. She said it worked, so I tried it. 

I always cook dried beans and freeze them for future use, rather than buying canned beans, but I always end up with many of the beans falling apart by the time all of them were cooked thoroughly. Not in the crockpot! I've now made garbanzo, Great Northern, and navy beans, all of which turned out perfectly tender and intact. I don't know why it never occurred to me to cook other beans in the crockpot, so I'm glad Maryanne experimented. 

Cooking times will vary, depending on the size of your crockpot, how many beans you're cooking, and what temperature you cook them on. I prefer to cook beans on low and mine take 6-8 hours for 6 cups of beans and a 5.5 qt. crockpot filled with water. 

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN STEW

~ Rachelle Smythe

16 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
2 c. diced, cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
16 oz. can chicken broth
1 1/2 c. chunky salsa
3/4 T. chili powder
1 t. dried parsley flakes

Place all ingredients in crockpot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Notes: I use two cups of the world's best beans in place of canned pintos and a handful of fresh parsley in place of dried. This freezes well!

SILAS' ENCHILADAS

~ Silas Weathersby

2 c. diced, cooked chicken
2 c. crockpot beans
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. salsa
green enchilada sauce
10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first five ingredients in large bowl. Lay out the tortillas and scoop an equal amount of filling on each tortilla until filling is used up. Roll tortillas and place in 9x13 pan. Drizzle enchilada sauce on top. Bake 20 minutes.

REFRIED BEANS

~ The Pillsbury Cookbook

3 T. butter
1/3 c. chopped onion
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 16-oz. cans kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 c. (8-oz. can) tomato sauce
2 T. chopped green chilies
1/8 t. salt

In large skillet, melt margarine; sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add beans; mash with fork. Stir in tomato sauce, chilies and salt. Simmer 10-15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

Notes: I cook my own pinto beans instead of using canned ones and use a 4 oz can of diced green chilies.

CHILI

~ unknown source

2 c. dried pinto beans
2 c. canned tomatoes or 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
6 c. water
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 lb. ground beef and/or turkey
1 c. rich bouillon
little oregano
1/2 t. cumin powder
3 T. chili powder

Mix first six ingredients and simmer 2 –3 hours. Meanwhile, almost to the end of the 2 – 3 hours, brown turkey. Add bouillon, oregano, cumin and chili powder. Add the meat mixture to the beans and simmer one hour longer.

Notes: I never have bouillon around and don't think this is a very flavorful chili when made as directed, so I fill a one-cup measuring cup 1/3 - 1/2 full with molasses and then top it off with water instead of using bouillon. This freezes well.

REFRIED BEANS WITHOUT THE REFRY

~ allrecipes

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 c. dried pinto beans
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 T. minced garlic
5 t. salt
1 3/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. cumin
9 c. water

Combine all ingredients in crockpot; stir. Cook on high for 8 hours (read notes). Strain, reserving liquid. Remove onion halves. Mash beans, adding reserved liquid to desired consistency.

Notes: These beans freeze well. I used to double the recipe (make sure your crockpot is big enough) and fill four quart-sized bags for the freezer, but we polish off a double batch faster as our family has grown and rarely freeze the beans now. My crockpot has a double batch ready in 5 hours on high, so check yours to make sure your beans aren't falling apart at 8 hours. If you'd rather have it take longer, then cook it on low. Depending on the temperature of the water you put in the crockpot, the beans will be done in 8-10 hours on low.

Use this recipe as a starting point and tweak to your liking. Beans - all pinto, all black, or half pinto and half black. Jalapenos - none, one, half diced & half intact, all diced. Water - all water, half water & half broth, all broth (use less salt if you add broth). Onion - halved, diced, one intact half and the other half diced. Cumin - as directed or way more. I don't measure the water either. Instead I just make sure the beans are submerged in liquid, filling the crockpot to the top and cooking it on low.

My favorite method, which is always a double batch, is one diced onion, 3 c. pinto beans, 3 c. black beans, no jalapenos, 1/4 cup garlic, 3 heaping T. salt (actually, I've dropped it down to a lot less over the years), 1 heaping T. pepper, 2 t. cumin, and enough water to fill the crockpot. I cook them for eight hours on low and leave the beans unmashed when they're done cooking. If you plan on freezing the beans, then don't mash them until they've thawed. It's much easier to pour intact beans out of a freezer bag than to squeeze out mashed ones. In addition to using them each week for Taco Tuesday, I also use these beans in any recipe that calls for canned black or pinto beans.

I also make other beans in the crockpot.

Linked up at: Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - beans

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

~ Janni Pacchetti

8 flour tortillas
1 large can refried beans or 4 c. crockpot beans
32 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 small can enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix refried beans and cottage cheese together. Pour thin layer of enchilada sauce into 9x13 pan. Place two tortillas side by side (they'll overlap) in bottom of pan and cover with enchilada sauce. Spread with 1/3 of bean mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 of cheese. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining tortilla, cover with enchilada sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Notes: This can be assembled in advance and frozen. You can also assemble it with one half of the recipe in each of two pie pans, freezing one for later. That's how I did it before we had enough people to polish off a pan in a night and I simply lined one pie pan with foil before assembling. The unlined pan went in the oven and the lined one went in the freezer. Once the food is frozen, then I add more foil to the top, take it out of the pan, then pop it back in the freezer. I just don't like keeping pie pans in the freezer for the sake of space. I usually use green enchilada sauce with homemade beans, but red enchilada sauce and canned beans (or whatever combo you prefer) is also good.

Linked up at: Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight - beans