Raise your hand if you have ever burned a batch of beans… or just dinner. *Raises hand slowly*
You leave a pot on the stove, get distracted, and suddenly dinner is a bit more charred than you would like. You might ask yourself, “What can I do?” An easy solution is to pull out that slow cooker you have been wanting to try and make a delicious, burnt-free batch of beans.
Try this Easy Slow Cooker Bean recipe.
Easy Slow Cooker Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups bean of choice e.g., black beans, pinto beans
- 8 cups cool water for soaking
- 6-7 cups water for cooking
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Onion quartered (optional)
- 1 Garlic clove mashed (optional)
Instructions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Sort through beans, removing shriveled or discolored pieces.
- Rinse beans with cool water.
- Soak your beans overnight with cool water or use the quick soak method.Overnight Soak: Add beans to bowl or pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight.Quick Soak: Add beans to pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour.
- Drain water from soaked beans and rinse.
- Place beans in slow cooker with 6-7 cups of water, or until beans are completely covered. Add salt. Add onion and garlic, if desired.
- Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on High for 6-8 hours or on Low for 3-4 hours.Note: Lid should not be removed until cooking time is almost complete.
Notes
Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or alongside your favorite taco recipe.
Cooking Beans in a Slow Cooker: It is recommended that dried beans be completely cooked on the stove or in a pressure cooker before adding to a slow cooker. This is especially true for red kidney beans which contain high levels of a compound called “phytohaemagglutinin” (PHA), also known as lectins. Lectins can be toxic if raw or under cooked beans are consumed. They are however destroyed by standard stove top methods at 212°F for at least 30 minutes. Commercially canned beans are safe to eat because they have been processed at high enough temperatures to eliminate lectins. On the other hand, slow cookers may not reach a high enough temperature and maintain it long enough to destroy the toxin. Other beans (cannellini, broad, fava) also contain PHA but not in as high a concentration as kidney beans. Nevertheless, thorough cooking of any type of dried beans before consuming is recommended. ~PennState Extension Dry Beans- A Pantry Staple
Nutrition Facts
Easy Slow Cooker Beans
Amount per 1 Serving
Calories
84
% Daily Value*
Fat
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Sodium
223
mg
10
%
Carbohydrates
15
g
5
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Calcium
36
mg
4
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
Potassium
230
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Need some inspiration on adding these beans to your favorite meals? Find some ideas on our blog post Go for Beans, Peas and Lentils for Healthy Protein Alternatives or find some great recipes on Pulses.org.
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