Have you ever tried a recipe that after the very first time you make it become part of your meal plan arsenal? This is one of them, so get ready! When we went plant-based as a family more than a year ago, this became the filling for tacos and burritos on Taco Tuesday dinner (the kids decided Tuesday was for tacos – I don’t know who told them!). I had been buying premade black beans and seasoning them when we didn’t have time for cooking a batch from dried beans, but with six of us to feed and all the extra salt that’s in canned beans, I decided to find a recipe that tasted better and was healthier and cheaper.

 

I love beans. When we stopped eating animal foods, the first question we got from friends and family was often “Where do you get your protein? Well, beans and lentils are great sources of protein as well as fiber, which most Americans don’t get nearly enough. One cup of black beans has 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber as well as folate and other nutrients. They really are a nutritional powerhouse! And they are delicious, so what’s not to love? This recipe has onions and garlic and green pepper and cumin and oregano – the kitchen smells amazing! We make these black beans and stuff them in tacos and burritos with black rice (my favorite kind!) and guac and salsa and chipotle hot sauce (and a little vegan cheese shreds for the kids). But the best thing of all is that you can get all this deliciousness fast, and for me, that’s what makes this a keeper for our family. Delicious is required, but if it’s too complicated that recipe just won’t get made too often. If you remember to soak the beans the night before, you can have this ready to eat in one hour with about 15 minutes of it hands-on time. If you actually make this in the Instant Pot, you could make this the morning of and leave it on warm until you get home. Or, make it in advance and warm it from the refrigerator. You can even freeze what you don’t eat for a later meal. Trust me, you will want to make this one again!

 

Ingredients

1 pound black beans, soaked overnight or 8 hours

4 cups water

1/2 cup olive oil

one onion, chopped

one green pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced (I use more because garlic and beans are lovely together, but the recipe only calls for 4)

1/4-1/2 tsp cumin (I use a generous 1/2 – I love cumin!)

1/2 tsp oregano

3-4 teaspoons salt (sounds like a lot, but it flavors the whole pound of beans)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp white vinegar

2 tbsp white wine (optional, but good)

 

First, soak the beans. Soaking removes phytic acid which may impair the absorption of some nutrients. Also, it may help the beans to cook more evenly. Some believe soaking makes the beans more digestible – but it may be that people who eat beans adapt and digest beans more easily anyway. There are arguments about all of this, so do what you want – you’ll just need to cook your beans a little longer. I soak the beans.

 

Gather the ingredients.

 

Put the water and beans in the pot. Cook your rinsed beans on high pressure for 35 minutes.

 

While the beans are cooking, chop your pepper, onion, and garlic.

 

Saute them in the olive oil with the salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin until they are softened. Smells so good!

 

When the beans are done, add one cup to the pepper/onion mixture and smash the beans. Then add it all back to the big pot of beans. 

 

Add the vinegar and white white and simmer for a few minutes (we usually don’t wait that long, but you can!).

 

Enjoy!