Vegetarian Borracho Beans

These beans are one of the things I don’t mind doing ahead of time and letting cook for hours. It’s well worth the wait for fresh beans, especially this one, because of the broth that comes with it.

There is an advantage to cooking your own beans. When they are soaking you can do things to help breakdown the sugar that is usually the culprit for creating gas. One thing is to let the beans soak overnight and make sure to drain and rinse off the beans before cooking them. I’ve heard you should drain and rinse every 3 hours, but if you are sleeping I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve also heard you can add a piece of carrot in when you are soaking them.

This recipe calls for a light beer, preferably a Mexican beer, but it doesn’t necessarily need it. Borracho does mean “drunk” which is why these are called borracho beans, or drunken beans. The beer does add a really good flavor and the alcohol cooks out. However, if you don’t have beer or find that you can’t have beer at all because of an allergy, it does add flavor, but it isn’t going to make or break this recipe. Just replace the amount of beer with extra vegetable broth or another savory liquid to add flavor.

• Servings: Makes 6-8 cups
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Ingredients

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 chicken or “chicken” bouillon or add a few cups of vegetable broth instead of water
• 1 12oz can Mexican beer
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and Pepper, if desired after cooking

Bean Soaking/Preparation
– You can soak the beans overnight. Cover with water and let sit covered on the counter overnight. Before cooking, rinse and add new water.
– You can also soak them for 3 hours, rinse, repeat for another 3 hours, rinse and then cook.
– Another method is to cover with water, let it boil. Turn off heat and let it sit for 2 hours. Rinse, add fresh water and start cooking.

Directions

1. Drain the beans and rinse them. Add to a large pot. Add all chopped vegetables, bouillon, and cilantro. Add fresh water until the water is a few inches higher than the beans.
2. Let beans come to a boil uncovered. Turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.
3. Add beer or any additional water/broth, and cover and cook for another hour.
4. Add salt to taste if needed. Turn off heat and serve.

Nutrition Information

1/2 Cup Serving

108 calories | 0.48 g total fat | 0.17 polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g monounsaturated fat | 0.1 g saturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 0 g cholesterol | 3 mg sodium (unless adding salt) | 19.12 g carbohydrates | 6.1 g fiber | 0.9 g sugar | 6.15 g protein

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