Side Bite: Slow Cooker Black Beans
Hi Busies! In the first few months of my first job after college, I struggled with the transition to working full time. I was alone in a new city, without any friends to explore it with, and I was getting home drained from long days of work. Of course, I got used to the work schedule, and I made some friends, but there was one constant during that period – the feeling of relief when I got home to a hot, ready-to-go meal nestled in the warm embrace of my Crock Pot. And so began my love affair with my slow cooker (my boyfriend only gets a tiny bit jealous of the two of us!). With a hectic weeknight schedule, it can be hard to prioritize made-from-scratch side dishes… it seems so appealing to just dump out a can of beans and call it a day. But, one of the biggest things I focus on in my cooking is using high quality ingredients. If you start with the best, you don’t have to add a bunch of extra, complicated ingredients – the dish will stand on its own, and it ends up being less work! It’s definitely a hard balance to find – as busy as I know we all are, we don’t always have the time to make everything from scratch. However, these beans require very little active cooking time, and they really enhance a meal beyond the canned version. Not to mention they’re more affordable and freezable! Make a big batch and freeze in portions – these make a great addition to my Salsa Chicken, or can be added to soup, a breakfast with scrambled eggs and salsa, or just served as a side. These come out soft, tender, and full of flavor – YUM!
What’s your favorite way to use your crock pot? Let me know in the comments below!
Slow Cooker Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag dry black beans
- 6 cups water
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 yellow onion (sliced, if you want to remove the onion, or diced (if you want to serve beans with onion)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 T salt
Instructions
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Rinse beans thoroughly using a colander or strainer, swishing to remove any loose dirt. Remove any stones or pebbles. Add beans, water, garlic, and onion to the crock pot. Stir and cook on high 3-4 hours or high ~6 hours. About 30 minutes before finishing, stir in cumin and salt. At the end of cooking, sample the beans to make sure they are tender. Exact cook time will depend on the heat of your crock pot. Strain beans, reserving liquid. Remove onions if desired. Stir 1/2 cup of reserved liquid back into the beans.
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To Freeze: Portion the beans out into desired serving sizes (I like to do some larger bags where I serve the beans as a side dish, and some smaller for when I'm just adding them to an existing recipe). Spread the beans flat in the bag and freeze. For more info, see my freezer tips page.