Have you tried cooking beans from scratch? Dust off your slow cooker and toss them right in, you don’t even need to soak them. I’ve been cooking dried beans for years, it saves money and waste. While we often cook them in a pressure cooker, I’ve been embracing the slow cooker lately. These were so easy to make, and you can put them on before you leave the house in the morning. Tomatoes, hot peppers, and cilantro make an easy pico de gallo for the topping.
You can just layer all the ingredients in the slow cooker if you like, but I like to cook the onions first. Either way these are easy, cheap, and delicious! For super creamy beans I sometimes purée a cup and stir them back in. Since these are for tacos I left them as is, it was the perfect amount of liquid. Feel free to double these and freeze some!
Slow Cooker Black Bean Tacos
1/2 lb black beans
3 cups water
1 onion, diced
olive oil
1 bay leaf
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
To season:
juice from 1/2 a lime
salt
tortillas + taco fixings like Pico de Gallo, escabeche, cheese, and sour cream
Cook the onions: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the onions, and cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until the onions soften and start to turn translucent. Add the cumin and coriander, cook for 1 more minute.
Place the onions, black beans, and water in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8. When beans are tender season with salt and lime to taste.
