We’re getting back to the basics with this one! I love exploring really simple ways to transform pantry staples, like canned beans, into a filling and satisfying meal. For these Cheesy Pinto Beans, I simply seasoned up some canned beans, puréed half to make the beans nice and creamy, then stirred in a little cheese to make it extra flavorful and satisfying. Serve them over rice and you’ve got an easy and satisfying meal for pennies.
What Are Pinto Beans?
Pinto beans have been a staple ingredient in many parts of the world, including Mexico and the Southwest U.S., for generations, so if you live in those areas you’re probably very familiar with this delicious bean. But if pinto beans aren’t already part of your regular diet, this recipe will be a great introduction. Pinto beans are a small, tan-colored bean that has a speckled appearance when dried. They have a deliciously creamy texture once cooked, which makes them great for refried beans, soup, burritos, or just enjoying over rice, like I did here.
Can I Use Dry Beans?
Dry beans will always be more budget-friendly, usually lower sodium, and oftentimes have better flavor, but they can definitely a little more time and work to prepare. This Cheesy Pinto Bean recipe is designed for convenience, so we’re using canned beans this time around. If you want to use pinto beans that you’ve cooked from dry, you’ll need about three cups of cooked beans. You’ll likely need to add a little more salt to your recipe at the end, as well.
How to Serve Cheesy Pinto Beans
This deliciously simple recipe can be eaten a few different ways. I served mine over a bowl of rice, but you could also purée more of the beans and serve it as a beany chip dip! I think it would also be good served in a bowl then scooped up with some fluffy naan or pita. Or, simply serve them alone as a side dish with your favorite meal.
What Else Can I Add?
Beans are such a flexible ingredient, so there are several other ingredients you can add to these cheesy pinto beans. Here are some other ingredients that you can stir into your beans:
- Diced Hatch green chiles
- Salsa
- Diced red onion
- Diced ham or bacon
- Sour cream (makes the beans EXTRA creamy)
- Cilantro
- Green onions
Cheesy Pinto Beans
Servings 4 ⅔ cup eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 jalapeño (optional) ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 15oz. cans pinto beans ($2.00)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 dashes hot sauce ($0.10)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($0.50)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and finely dice the jalapeño (remove the stem and seeds).
- Add the garlic, jalapeño, and cooking oil to a pot. Sauté the garlic and jalapeño over medium heat for about one minute, or just until the garlic is very fragrant.
- Add one can of pinto beans to a blender, with the liquid in the can, and purée until smooth.
- Add the puréed beans and the second can of beans (drained) to the saucepot with the garlic and jalapeño. Stir to combine.
- Season the beans with the smoked paprika, cumin, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir to combine, then heat through over medium, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, add the shredded cheddar and stir until it has melted smoothly into the beans. Taste the beans and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve over rice or with your favorite meal.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Cheesy Pinto Beans – Step by Step Photos
Mince two cloves of garlic and finely dice one jalapeño (seeds and stem removed). Add them to a pot along with one tablespoon of cooking oil. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic becomes really fragrant.
Add one 15oz. can of pinto beans to a blender (with the liquid in the can) and purée until smooth. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender in the pot with the beans.
Add the puréed beans to the pot along with a second 15oz. can of pinto beans (drained). Stir to combine.
Season the beans with ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp ground cumin, ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and a couple of dashes of hot sauce. Stir to combine and then allow the beans to heat through, stirring occasionally.
Once the beans are hot, add ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
Stir the beans until the cheese has melted smoothly into the beans.
Taste the beans and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Because canned beans and cheese contain a fair amount of salt, I did not find that I needed to add any to the beans. Serve the beans over rice, with chips, or as a side to your favorite meal!
For what it’s worth, shredded vegan fake cheese works pretty well in this
I’ve made this twice already. Love it! The first time I didn’t have jalapeno so I added the last 1/3rd of a jar of salsa.
You’ve done it again, Beth! I made this for dinner and it’s going to be in the regular rotation. Like most recipes here, I just used the seasonings as a guide and found the tastiest combo for me, which included the addition of Worcestershire and way more of every spice. But I love this genius use of beans for dinner and especially love how cheap and easy it is. Brilliant!
I made these beans for dinner tonight and they are really good! I love pinto beans but the added seasonings and cheese took them to a whole new level. I’ll be making them again.
I had a bunch of cilantro so I served with the cilantro lime rice recipe. I thought it might be a little weird with the cheese, but it was sooo good. The freshness and citrus in the rice was a perfect complement.
Filling, easy, cheap and healthy. Unfortunately, also quite bland. I tasted it, added some salt, and otherwise left it bland since my toddler was sharing dinner with me (he loved it, by the way), but if I were eating it by myself, I’d double the seasoning and maybe add some more cheese. At a minimum. Definitely going into the rotation, just with some modifications. Thanks!
This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that” recipes! So simple and satisfying. My daughter had the beans with rice and some other toppings to make a bowl. I had them in a tortilla with some chicken and corn to make a taco. This will be in the regular rotation.
These were so good and incredibly easy! I omitted the jalapeño and hot sauce because I know my kids wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. I replaced the cumin with mild chili powder. My kids said that this recipe must be made on repeat! Thank you!
I can’t eat garlic (it is the worst intolerance I could have imagined!). Would about 1 tsp onion powder be a good substitute? Or maybe .5 tsp?
Sure! I don’t know how much you’ll need exactly, but you can definitely season the beans to your liking with whatever you prefer. :)
What what be a suitable substitute for the hot sauce? Don’t have any on hand sadly
You don’t necessarily need to substitute it. You can just leave it out if needed. You can really just season the beans with whatever you like. :)
What a simple and delicious riff on red beans and rice! I’m a big fan of pinto beans myself and often use them for northern style chili instead of the kidney beans of my midwest upbringing. What can I say! I can make a great pot of Texas red, but hubs still loves the ground beef chili he was raised on.
Puree the whole batch, swirl in some sour cream and you’ll have a spectacular bean dip for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.
I love pintos precisely because of the creamy texture you mention. My supermarket frequently has BOGO sales for store brand canned beans making it easy to keep my pantry stocked with canned beans–pintos for chile, etc; navy beans for soup; kidneys for my fave bean salad; garbanzos and cannellini just because we love them. I rarely pay more than $.50 for a can of beans.
How much onion did you use? I didn’t see it in the ingredients list or in the photos, but it is mentioned in the instructions. Thank you, Beth! I’m really looking forward to trying this one!
Sorry about that! That was just a brain fart typo. It was supposed to be garlic. :P
Why so much sodium? If no additional salt added, what causes so much sodium? Thank you, Mary Stephens
Canned beans contain a decent amount of sodium, as does cheese.
If sodium sensitive, draining and rinsing canned beans can reduce sodium by ~40%. https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011110p62.shtml
I will regularly cook up and freeze large batches of beans. I drain them and divide them up into can-size portion to use in recipes. The only drawback is the occasional recipe that wants the liquid along with the beans. What can I replace that bean liquid with?
You can freeze some of the bean liquid like you freeze broth (in icecube trays and then put them in a zip bag). You can use some chicken or vegetable broth in case you need the liquid before you freeze your next bean batch
I do the same thing, but I always add about a half cup of the liquid when I freeze. I think the beans have a better texture when defrosted that way. Maybe you could try with one or two on your next batch and see if you like it? Or just do one or two like this and mark it so you’ll have one of you need it for a specific recipe?
You could just add some water to help them blend up smoothly, then add salt at the end of the recipe to taste. :)
The liquid left after beans have cooked is precious, don’t throw it away, I call it bean broth and I always save it in a jar (usually it goes in the freezer). You can use it as broth, since it has some starch in it (depending on the type of bean and how long it was cooked) you can either leave it as is and this way it will thicken soups and stews, or strain the starch out (I do it with a handcherkief). You can definitely use it in place of the liquid in a can of beans, but it will be much tastier.
Bean broth made out of chickpeas is particularly versatile and similar to chicken broth.
Oh Yum! I came to the site today for the pickled spicy carrots recipe from a couple of days ago and found this little surprise. Yum. Family loved it. Simple, quick, inexpensive, and tasty.