I love a slow cooker recipe that doesn’t require much prep or pre-cooking. And how can you beat a dinner that ends up costing less than $5 to feed a family of 5 (with leftovers!)? Beans are where it’s at, folks.
I found this recipe here, but I changed a bunch of stuff. Here’s my recipe:
Slow Cooker Black Beans
1 pound dry black beans
4 cups beef stock, plus water to cover beans
1/2 an onion whole, so you can remove it later (I used leftover red onion from yesterday)
1/2 red bell pepper, whole with seeds removed (also from yesterday)
3 large cloves garlic, whole
1 can tomato paste
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
Rinse beans and check for rocks. Cover beans with water and soak overnight. In the morning, rinse the beans and place in the slow cooker. Cover with beef stock/water and add the onion, garlic cloves, red bell pepper, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 hours on low in the slow cooker. About an hour before serving, add the tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper, and cumin. Stir and then taste for salt and add more if necessary. Cook for another hour on low. Remove onion, garlic, and red pepper. Serve over cilantro lime rice.
Cilantro Lime Rice (2 half cup servings)
1 cup prepared rice, white or brown
juice of one lime
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cilantro
Prepare rice (I like to use the Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice that heats in 90 seconds for this; it’s just rice no extra spices). Mix with cilantro, lime, and salt.
