Slow Cooker Ranchero Beans |Cooking With Amanda

Oh how I love thee, Mexican food. There is nothing more that I like to do than to make a huge Mexican feast. And beans are always on the menu. They are a must. I know it's something my son will always eat and it's something everyone always enjoys.

I love Chuy's Tex-Mex restaurant. They serve the most delicious ranchero beans. They are super spicy but oh-so full of flavor. Since I can't eat there all the time I have resorted to making my own in my slow cooker. And let me just tell you that it tastes just like theirs (a little less spicy—but if you like it spicy make it spicier) and it makes a large batch.

Once we are done with dinner I package the leftovers up into 1-2 quart size freezer bags, label it, and freeze it for a later dinner. Then once I know we are going to have another Mexican dinner I thaw the beans and reheat on the stovetop! Same great slow cooked taste but with minimal effort on my behalf.

And even making the slow cooker ranchero beans are pretty simple! You'll need to soak your beans over night in a pot of water. You can always do that in the slow cooker (just don't turn it on). Then rinse and strain in a colander.

If you have a Multi-Cooker you'll want to preheat it to the sear setting. Cook the bacon, add in the diced onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook for a few minutes until bacon fat is rendered and it's a little crispy. Then add in your tomatoes. I find that I like using the fire roasted Ro-tel the best. But any fire roasted canned tomato would work fine. (If you don't have a Multi-Cooker you can do this step in a skillet then transfer to a slow cooker.)

Then back in the slow cooker, I add in a tablespoon of salt, the soaked but drained beans and water. Give it a big stir and set the slow cooker on high for 8 hours. You might think high is too much, but I promise you will still have crisp beans. Remember these are dried beans so the cooking process takes much longer.

Once the beans are done I stir in chopped cilantro and then take about 2 cups of beans and puree it in my food processor. Before I add the pureed beans back to the slow cooker I strain out any additional liquid I might not want. That's a total preference thing. Then, I add the pureed beans back to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir and serve them over Mexican rice!

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Slow Cooker Ranchero Beans Recipe

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Ingredients

1 pound dried pinto beans
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 10 ounce can fire roasted ro-tel
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

The night before you want to cook the beans (or at least 8 hours prior) you'll want to soak your beans. Place beans in a large pot and fill with 8 cups of water. Place a lid on top and let sit for at least 8 hours if not 12 hours. After the beans have soaked, drain all water, rinse the beans, and set to the side.
Using a Multi-Cooker, preheat to sear setting. Place the bacon in the multi-cooker and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add in the white onion, cook 1 minute, followed by the garlic and jalapeño. Mix occasionally and cook for a total of 10 minutes until the bacon starts to crisp and onions start to turn translucent.
Reduce the heat on the Multi-Cooker to "slow cooker high" mode. Add in the can of fire-roasted tomatoes and the beans. Mix well, then add in the salt and 4 cups of water. Mix well, place the lid on the beans and cook on low for 4 hours.
Once the beans are done place two cups of beans in a blender and puree. Pour back into the slow cooker and mix in the freshly chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.

Notes

Store leftover beans in a freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months in the freezer!
If you don't have a Multi-Cooker cook the vegetables and bacon on the stove top then transfer to a slow cooker.