Frijoles Charros
This recipe for Frijoles Charros combines pinto beans with bacon, onion, tomato, chorizo, and spices to create a delicious side dish perfect for pairing with your favorite Mexican main course.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 498kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans soaked in water for at least 8 hours
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 ounces bacon diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 8 oz Mexican chorizo
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 15 oz can diced tomato
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaf
- 4 cups of beef broth + extra water as needed
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chorizo to the pot and cook until it’s well browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- Add diced onion to the empty pot and cook until softened. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, cooking for about 30 seconds more.
- Stir in the crispy bacon and chorizo.
- While stirring, add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute, until the mixture becomes fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, and pinto beans to the pot, bringing the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the beans for 25-30 minutes or until the beans are tender.
- If needed, add hot water by the half cup until the desired consistency is reached and beans are tender.
- Remove bay leaves.
- Serve hot. We like it topped with chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
Once soaked, be sure to rinse and pick through the dry beans to remove any small rocks or debris.
Crisp bacon slowly over medium heat to render out more fat. This helps get it perfectly crispy.
Don’t rush browning the chorizo as this builds deeper flavor.
Simmer gently for perfectly tender beans without breaking them apart.
Adjust spice level by adding a diced serrano pepper with the onion.
Top beans with fresh cilantro just before serving for bright, fresh flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 1082mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 266IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 5mg