Slow Cooker: Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Sour Cream Cornbread

 










It’s time to sign up for Crock Pot Wednesdays.  I hope you will decide to join me by linking up with Mister Linky below.  I appreciate you!


 Hubby loves his pinto beans.   In fact, so do I.  Both of us grew up on them.  He is, after all, one of six children!  Bless his mom’s heart.  She did well to keep all of those mouths fed. 



We prefer our pinto beans cooked in the crock pot.  Over the years we have realized that the flavor seems so much more intense than it is when they are cooked on the stove top.  The truth is, I seldom add anything other than salt to flavor them.  They are just that good.
I wish I had an exact recipe, but I don’t.  There are some  general guidelines, however, that I can give you.  You can go from there.  Or, you can find plenty of recipes on the web.  I just don’t have one.  Isn’t this the way many of us cook?


Start with a 1-pound bag of pinto beans.   Rinse thoroughly and look through them for any pebbles, etc. (Yep.  Pebbles, etc. will be there from time to time.).  Put the dry beans in the slow cooker liner and cover with lots of water.  This is usually about 2/3 more water than beans.  We like lots of “juice” with our beans because we eat them as a bowl dish rather than as a side dish.  I do not salt at this time but rather wait until about 30 minutes prior to serving.  I don’t think it is critical either way (you will find contradictory information on this).


  I may add this ham seasoning if I’m not using a leftover ham bone; it’s convenient and certainly is lower in calories.  The addition of ham or smoked sausage is strictly your option.
Cook on LOW 8-10 hours.  You may want to check the water level and give them a stir or two until you become accustomed to how they are cooking.  Beans will vary in cooking time according to their age.  You can cook them faster on HIGH, but LOW works for me as I put them on to cook before leaving for work in the mornings.

I’m making enough this time to make Mary Lynn’s Louisiana Red Bean Gumbo (check back to get  that great recipe)  for this weekend, but for tonight we’ll be eating them with Sour Cream Cornbread and Tomato-Bacon Jam.  A warm meal for a rainy evening. 

Sour Cream Corn Bread

1/2 cup butter, melted (I melt it n the skillet.)
1 cup cream style corn
1 cup sour cream (I use well-drained Greek yogurt.)
1 cup self-rising corn meal mix
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup finely grated Cheddar cheese (or cheese blend)
1/2 onion, grated (optional)
freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients and cook about 20-25 minutes in well greased 9-inch skillet.  The batter will be quite thick.  YUM!

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