Easy Peasy Pintos N' Cheese

Feliz Friday! Ready for a great Mexican recipe? This is a super easy way to make delish pinto bean and cheese from scratch, using just a few ingredients. I got the basic bean recipe from one of the women at work, I then started adding ingredients according to what I had on hand and the result was this impossibly easy bean and cheese dish. The advice my coworker (who brought this bean recipe up with her when she moved here from Mexico) gave me was, "After they are cooked I pretty much just throw in whatever I have on hand that I think will be good." So taking her advice, I came up with this recipe. The secret, I found out, is to take out about three cups of the beans after cooking, and smash them up with a potato masher before stirring them back in with the rest of the beans. This will make your beans super creamy! The other secret that makes it so delicious is adding chorizo. Pretty much any sausage would work, but the chorizo gives it an authentic mexican flavor. You can get chorizo at most grocery stores, but I prefer to get the real authentic kind at the local Carniceria. Espero que les gustan... provecho!

Crockpot Pintos and Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb dry pinto beans

Water (to cover)

Salt (to taste)

Chili Powder (however much you want depending on how spicy you like your chili)

1 small jar medium salsa

12 ounces chorizo (or other sausage)

Mrs. Dash Spice

2-3 cups cheese

1/3 cup chopped onion

3 tbsp lite sour cream

Lay beans out on a large tray and sort through, removing anything that isn't a bean (rocks, fluff, etc.). Place beans in collander and rinse until water runs clear.

Pretty, No?

Put beans in a large crockpot. Cover by at least 2 inches with water.

Cover with water

Soak over night (don't turn crock-pot on yet). After soaking, make sure beans are still covered by at least two inches of water. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 8 hours. When beans are tender, drain. Leave enough liquid to make them soupy. The less liquid you leave, the thicker your chili will be. If you drain off too much just add in a bit of hot water until you have the consistency you want.

Smash them up!

Using a slotted spoon, remove about two cups of the cooked beans and mash with a potato masher. Stir back in to crock pot. Allow to continue cooking while you crumble and brown the chorizo and onions in a non-stick skilled over medium heat. Add to crockpot.

¡Olé!

Add salsa, cheese, sour cream, and spices to taste. Stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with more sour cream, topped with cheese. Yum!

Cheesy!

Serve with chips or tortillas and some sliced avocados for an easy dinner.