CROCKPOT PINTO BEANS WITH HAM

Crockpot Pinto Beans with Ham

This yummy soup recipe came from a site called www.spruce.com.  I have never made ham and beans using pinto beans.  The ham and beans I traditionally made for the family when Olivia was growing up included a ham hock and navy beans.  I happened to run across a ziplock bag of frozen honey ham pieces in the freezer about the same time I found a bag of pinto beans in my cupboard.  That's when I started looking for a recipe using both.

I like this recipe for a couple of reasons.  The recipe calls for green pepper.  I was a little nervous about using that because I was afraid it might overpower the soup.  It didn't.  It was perfect.  The oregano and cumin also gave it a rich, full bodied flavor.  This weekend was cold and rainy where Olivia and I live.  This bean soup was the perfect meal to chase away the chill.

-Nanette

What You'll Need

• 1 pound dried pinto beans, sorted and washed
• 3 cups water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 to 8 ounces cooked ham, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

How to Make It

1. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover them with water to a depth of about 2 inches above the beans. Let stand overnight; drain. Put beans in a large Dutch oven or stockpot; cover with fresh water, and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.
2. Place the beans in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker with the water and remaining ingredients, except salt.
3. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours, or until beans are soft. Stir a couple of times during cooking and add more water if necessary. Add salt, to taste.

Serve the beans with cornbread, rice, a green salad or slaw.

Serves 8 to 10.

Tips and Variations

• Instead of diced ham, cook the peas with a large meaty ham hock or two small ham hocks.
• Replace the diced ham with about 12 ounces of diced browned smoked sausage. Add it near the end of the cooking time.
• Add a few teaspoons of minced jalapeno pepper or about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Add 2 medium dried bay leaves to the beans.