Pinto beans and sausage in crock pot

I love beans but I never remembered to overnight soak them. Then a friend of mine told me how she just Crock Pots and there's no soaking required! Now I cook beans once a week and freeze the extras. I also save the bones from ham or I save pieces of bacon to cook them in the beans. We always have lots of these on hand. When you serve it over rice it becomes a complete protein so it's delicious vegetarian style too without the optional meat flavoring.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

A super easy and delicious way to prepare versatile pinto beans. The broth from these beans takes on whatever meat you add. We used the hambone and added smoked sausage. It gave a wonderful flavor to the pinto beans. A fantastic way to use a leftover holiday hambone. Serve these pinto beans over rice or even smashed a little with a tortilla.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew

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★★★★★ 7

serves 6

prep time 5 Min

cook time 6 Hr

method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For easy slow cooker pinto beans

• 1 lb

  dried pinto beans

• 3 qt

  water

• 1

  hambone, if desired

• 1 tsp

  Kosher salt

• Optional

  bacon, cooked and chopped up

• Optional

  1 lb chopped up smoked sausage

• 1 1/2 tsp

  Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)

How To Make easy slow cooker pinto beans

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  The first time I tried this Pinto Beans Recipe I was amazed, because it is one of his great ideas that he threw together one time on a trip to the deer camp. Ever since then he's refined it into this delicious pot of creamy, meaty yumminess. There's so much flavor from a combination of the beans, smoked sausage and cooking for a long time.

  Next time try my Instant Pot White Beans recipe, another truly hearty dish that is best cooked in the instant pot.

  Jump to:
  • 🧅 Ingredients
  • 🥣 Instructions
  • 🔄 Substitutions and Variations
  • 🔌 Equipment
  • 🧊 Storage
  • 💡 Tips
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQ's
  • What To Serve With Pinto Beans
  • Crock Pot Pinto Beans
  • 💬 Comments

  This recipe will also work well in a pressure cooker, obviously a big reduction on cooking time.

  This was inspired by my recipe for baked beans also on this site, and pairs well with this amazing cornbread recipe.

  🧅 Ingredients

  
  • Dry Pinto Beans - rinsed, sorted and soaked in a large bowl with cold water.
  • Smoked Sausage - we like to use Hillshire smoked sausage.
  • Andouille Sausage - a traditional smoked sausage that is full of spices.
  • Cooked Ground Meat - we use venison usually, but ground beef is great too.
  • Large Sweet Onion - Vidalia onions are my favorite.
  • Large Green Bell Pepper
  • Celery Stalks
  • Garlic Cloves
  • Chicken Broth - if you have homemade that works amazingly but store bought is fine otherwise.
  • Bay Leaves
  • Creole Seasoning - I make my own, see the link.
  • Onion Powder
  • Garlic Powder
  • Thyme, dried
  • Salt and pepper to taste

  See recipe card for quantities.

  The Cagle Diaries

  🥣 Instructions

  Step 1: Brown your ground meat.

  Step 2: Place beans and all other ingredients to the slow cooker and turn on! That is all that's needed for this recipe.

  

  Hint: Toward the end of the cooking time use a potato masher and mash a few of the beans - it will add creaminess.

  🔄 Substitutions and Variations

  • Canned Beans - if you are short on time and want a similar recipe but using canned beans instead of dried beans you can do so. The sausage will definitely need to be caramelized though, as will the vegetables and reduce the cooking time by a lot.
  • Onions - It's not a deal breaker to use yellow onions instead, it won't affect the recipe.
  • Vegetarian - You can leave the meat out altogether, if you like. You will have to add some more spices - and use vegetable broth instead.
  • Ham Hocks (ham bone) - if you have some those can be added in place of the smoked sausage - they add great flavor.
  • Spicy - add some heat to your crock pot beans with some chili powder, hot sauce or even green chile maybe.
  • Stove Top - This recipe works fine as a stove top recipe too. Follow the same instructions just reduce the amount of time needed.
  • Bacon - crock pot pinto beans with bacon is delicious.

  🔌 Equipment

  I use a 7quart crock pot for this recipe. I have a link to my favorite type in the recipe card below.

  

  🧊 Storage

  After the crock pot pinto beans have cooled completely, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

  This recipe holds up well to freezing, store in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

  💡 Tips

  Expert Tip: I like to cut the sausages up a little differently so as to be able to distinguish between the two. This way I don't give the kiddos too much heat on their plate. Cutting it up a little smaller helps this too. Everybody loves the regular smoked sausage though.

  This is the type of recipe that tastes even better the next day! Cook a day ahead and just heat up when you're ready to eat.

  👩‍🍳 FAQ's

  Can dogs eat pinto beans?

  Short answer, yes. Pinto beans are full of nutrition that is good for dogs... the longer answer includes the subject of seasoning. Many seasoning is not good for a dog's digestion.

  Can you freeze cooked pinto beans?

  Yes, this recipe freezes very well for 3 months.

  Where do pinto beans come from?

  Pinto beans fall into the 'common bean' category, which originated in Peru. The native indian tribes migrated taking these beans with them.

  Are pinto beans keto?

  No, unfortunately not. They have 29.4g of carbs in one cup of cooked pintos.

  Black beans vs Pinto Beans

  Black beans tend to be more dense and hearty where my crock pot Pinto Beans will be creamier and almost have a nutty flavor.

  What are refried beans?

  This is a Mexican dish that uses up the leftover cooked pinto beans - with all the extra things in these beans though I'm not sure you could do that here.

  Why do you have to soak beans?

  Beans have a substance called Phytic Acid which is undigestible for humans. By soaking the beans first it eliminates a lot of this acid. It helps the beans cook quicker too.

  What To Serve With Pinto Beans

  As a main course we'd have some barbecue meat and often have southern pinto beans on the side with some rice. It's a delicious side dish and one of our favorite meals. Some extras that pair well:

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  • Collard Greens
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Cornbread
  • Green Beans
  • Oyster Dressing

  See my full post on What To Serve With Pinto Beans here. You can also try this Red Beans and Rice with Ham Hocks recipe.

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  If you’ve tried these crock pot pinto beans, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!

  You can also follow me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes!

  Continue to Content

  

  Crock Pot Pinto Beans

  Yield: 12

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 8 hours

  Additional Time: 8 minutes

  Total Time: 8 hours 18 minutes

  Deliciously meaty and creamy - Southern cooking at it's best. These crock pot pinto beans are a meal all unto itself.

  Print

  Ingredients

  • 1lb Dry Pinto Beans
  • 1 Link Smoked Sausage
  • 1 Link Andouille Sausage
  • 1lb Ground Meat
  • 1 Large Sweet Onion
  • 1 Large Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 Large Stalk Celery
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. Creole Seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
  • 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
  • 2 Tsp. Thyme, dried
  • 5 Cups Chicken Broth
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

  Instructions

  1. Soak Pinto Beans in a few cups of water overnight in water, they should double in size and be tender beans.
  2. Brown ground meat in a skillet, drain and add to crock pot
  3. Chop all vegetables, add to crock pot
  4. Add remaining ingredients, including chicken broth.
  5. Stir until mixed well.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 8 hour.
  7. Serve over rice.

  Notes

  Toward the end stir frequently, this will ensure the beans get the good creamy texture. A delicious beans and ham in crock pot is best when it's creamy.

  For more Beans in the Crock Pot Recipe, see below:

  Try my Kielbasa and Baked Beans Recipe, I also make it in the slow cooker.

  You could also try my Slow Cooker Cajun 15 Bean Soup Recipe, or my Crock Pot Hoppin' John - those are great recipes too.

  What beans should not be cooked in a slow cooker?

  But research now suggests that one tough ingredient shouldn't be cooked in the slow cooker at all — beans. All beans contain a compound called “phytohaemagglutinin,” also called PHA, or kidney bean lectin.

  Do I cook sausage before putting in crock pot?

  Technically you don't need to brown the sausages before placing in the crock pot, but the caramelization gives the dish a delicious depth of flavor.

  What meat goes well with pinto beans?

  Pinto beans go well with most meats. The beans are used frequently with pork as a pork and beans dish. Pinto beans can also act as an accompaniment and bring out the flavor of a steak. Vegetarians can enjoy pinto beans cooked with rice and tomatoes.

  How long does it take Pintos to cook in a crockpot?

  How Long Do You Cook Pinto Beans in the Crock Pot? 8 to 10 hours on HIGH. Yes, it really does take that long.