Savory Soup Beans

This year I am trying to use dry beans in my cooking once a week. I am doing this for a few reasons:

1) Beans are super cheap

2) Beans are healthy

3) Beans are a part of my long-term food storage, so I better know how to cook with them in case I have to use it.

This recipe is great because it tastes good, doesn't require bacon (a lot of bean recipes seem to use bacon, or pork in other forms), and doesn't use a ton of ingredients.

Savory Soup Beans

3 cups dried pinto beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika
6 garlic cloves, minced
7 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain.

Wipe pan dry with a paper towel. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, paprika, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in beans, 7 cups water, and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in salt. Discard bay leaves. Remove from heat; partially mash beans.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

289 (14% from fat)

Fat:

4.4g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

14.8g

Carbohydrate:

49.6g

Fiber:

15.8g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

4.6mg

Sodium:

739mg

Calcium:

98mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2004

I didn't have smoked paprika so I just used regular and added a dash of liquid smoke, and I would just use 1 1/2 tsp salt. Serve with cornbread and salad.