Description
Slow Cooker Pinto Beans and Ham makes for a delicious, comforting, and hearty meal. The slow cooker makes it so easy as you simply throw all the ingredients into the pot and let it simmer all day.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water (you’ll want to use enough water to cover the beans by about an inch.
- 3 tablespoons Pinto Bean seasoning (or 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder,1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt)
- 1 large onion (I used yellow; white is fine too.)
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1/2 pound thickly sliced ham (OR ham bone/ ham hock with or without meat scraps still on it)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Optional step. But highly recommended: Soak beans in a large bowl of water for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours at room temperature. Transfer soaked beans to a colander and rinse them well. Discard soaking liquid. You can also use a quick soak method (usually found on the back of the bean package but I prefer an overnight soak.
- If using a ham hock or ham bone, place it at the bottom of the slow cooker, and add soaked beans over the ham hock/bone. (If using leftover sliced ham, just mix it in at the end with the water.)
- Coursely slice onion and green bell pepper and add to the slow cooker. Add spices.
- The chicken broth and enough water in the pot to cover the beans by one inch. Stir everything together. (you can use all water – I just like the extra flavor from the broth.)
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Stir a couple of times during cooking, and add more water if necessary. (If you like a firmer bean, start checking for doneness at the 7-hour mark. (If you like a softer bean, you can continue cooking until the desired texture is reached.)
- Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Depending on how salty your ham was or the salt level of the spices, you may not need any.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 437
- Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 51
- Fiber: 13
- Protein: 32