Slow Cooker Pinto Bean Bonanza

For a dried bean lover like me this is a little bit of heaven! I made this during the big freeze this week and ate it for two of the coldest days EVER in my area (Colorado). When it was all gone my 19 yr old was begging me to make it again RIGHT NOW! I always make recipes exactly as written the first time then play with it if I think it could be improved. NO PLAYING this time around! I'm a retired chef and would have proudly served this in my restaurant.

I followed the recommendations of other users and my own tastes to sub 1 cup diced onion for the dried onion and onion powder, and I used a light kielbasa...as I was short on time I cooked for 2 hours on high and finished for 5 hours on low.... topped with shredded pepper jack and scallions as noted and served over rice.... really a terrific recipe that both my husband and I just loved. Thanks so much!

Yummy! I couldn't really taste any bacon, so that could probably be left out next time. I also used cloves of garlic and a whole onion because that's what I had on hand. This made the house smell great! Served it with tortilla chips and sour cream, easy inexpensive dinner.

We really enjoyed this! I was'nt sure the beans would get done with only a 30 minute precook and no soaking, but they were tender. I still think next time I will soak overnight. That being said, couldn't come up with the ranch beans, used a can of hot chili beans instead. Put two hot home canned peppers cut in half in with the rest of the mix. Used regular vinegar, out of apple cider kind! And totally forgot the bell pepper( which was ok anyway). Put over white rice with some cheese and scallions, some cornbread, and Mmmmmmmm. Good stuff Danger, thanks! Oh, one more thing, the dried onions.. next time I will use regular onions, I just like onions in with my pinto beans. I did cook this on high for 4 hours, I just couldn't wait to taste it.

This is really great. I have to admit, not exactly what I was expecting, but very tasty! I doubled the recipe. Also I went ahead & soaked the beans overnight then realized I didn't know how much water I'd used. So I had to guestimate on the liquid. I ended up using 1 qt + 1 can of chicken broth (instead of water) plus about 2-3 cups of water. I also forgot about the green onion, but doubt that mattered. Great Beans!

Serve wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Absolutely delicious!! I skipped the bacon & tomato paste & used turkey sausage. Can't wait to eat leftovers today! Thank you!!

Decent flavor. I was trying to make it a little more rounded, so I removed most of the bacon grease, and cooked an onion and the green pepper in with the bacon. Served with corn bread and a salad (would've been greens if the kids would eat them!)

These beans are awesome. I used smoked sausage instead of kielbasa, and fresh jalapenos instead of pickled, and fresh onions instead of dried. Love this recipe, it's a keeper!

Very good over rice! Taste sort of like pork and beans!

We really enjoyed this! I was'nt sure the beans would get done with only a 30 minute precook and no soaking, but they were tender. I still think next time I will soak overnight. That being said, couldn't come up with the ranch beans, used a can of hot chili beans instead. Put two hot home canned peppers cut in half in with the rest of the mix. Used regular vinegar, out of apple cider kind! And totally forgot the bell pepper( which was ok anyway). Put over white rice with some cheese and scallions, some cornbread, and Mmmmmmmm. Good stuff Danger, thanks! Oh, one more thing, the dried onions.. next time I will use regular onions, I just like onions in with my pinto beans. I did cook this on high for 4 hours, I just couldn't wait to taste it.

This is the first time I have rated something. I followed the recipe w/1 exception. I used a pack of bacon but w/out any drippings. This was amazing! I put it over rice and topped it w/cheese and scallions. So good it's ridiculous!

This was fantastic and so yummy! I didn't pre-soak or pre-cook the beans. I put the mixture on high for 4 hours and then low for 4 hours and it turned out perfect. No need to pre-soak or pre-cook. I left out the bacon and tomato paste since I didn't have it. I also used the whole pound of pinto beans and only 6 cups of water were needed. Thanks for this tasty recipe.

Really good pinto beans. serve them over brown rice with shredded cheese as the author suggests.

So, so good! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used cajun sausage instead of kielbasa. My hubby ejoyed it as well!

loved this!!! prepair as written and serve over rice : )

A good, hearty meal, tasty, just not completely amazing, thus the 4 stars. Will make again. I saved time in the morning by soaking the beans overnight and the next morning i didn't boil them, instead i put them in the slow cooker on high for 6 hours (then it switches to warm mode). They turned out perfectly well done that way.

Easy to make, and yummy with cheese (we used pepper jack) and crumbled tortilla chips on top.

was good. May leave out the apple cider vinegar next time.

Very easy and simple recipe. Good go to when your low on grocery or need something cheap, tasty, and healthy!

I added a little more garlic,but it was excellant. Cooked down this would be good in a wrap with lettuce and tomatoes

sorry, just not very inspiring. I'd rather just cook pintos in water and serve with smoked sausage which has been grilled. The apple cider vinegar gave this dish a "funny" taste.

Delicious! the only tweaking I did was to cook two pieces of extra thick, peppered bacon instead of regular, and I used Bush's ranch grillin' beans (which had jalepeno and red chili sauce)and a big dash of red pepper flakes. We ate it over brown rice with grated Mexican blend cheese on top. This would be good over corn bread, too, with onions and cheese. Quick preparation, inexpensive and yummy!

Very good! A hit with all the men I made it for - even the ones convinced they didn't like beans. Will make again, quick, easy, filling, delicious!

All I can say is OMG.....My kids and husband loved this perfect comfort food. The green onions gave that perfect finish from the saltyness of the sausage and the bitterness of the tomato. The creamy and buttery rice underneath all the heavyness of the beans and sausage is perfect food heaven. I used pinto and honey baked beans for my bonanza....We loved it, we will make again!

Turned out perfect. Even my picky children loved it.

This was very good and flavorful. Makes lots of yummy leftovers.

I had to adjust this recipe a little as there were some items I couldn't purchase in British supermarkets, but despite these changes it was a success! I'll definitely be making this one again. I used 2 cans of pinto beans instead of 2 cups of dried, and since ranch-style beans don't exist in this country I added an extra can of pinto beans. I used passata instead of tomato paste, but I think they're pretty much the same. For the sausage, I used chorizo, which is pretty similar to kielbasa. I used fresh onion and garlic rather than dried/powdered. I also added some extra spices: 2 tsp red chilli flakes, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp oregano, to make up for the lack of ranch-style beans, as these seem to be commonly used seasonings for these beans.

A new favorite! Had extra pinto beans, so I used about 2.5 cups and added a cup of water. No garlic powder on hand, so I added a tablespoon of garlic salt and the deleted regular salt and the garlic powder. Came out perfect. Served over steamed rice. My crock pot gets this done on low in about 6 hours. Need to be careful not to overcook and have the beans start to come apart.

While i'm sure this recipe is inviting for each individuals additions according to taste..I made it per the recipe. I found it to be mildy spicy and mildy flavorful. It is not something I would make again. Not a bad dish, just not 5 stars for me.

This recipe was ok. Probably won't make again, but enjoyed it once.

Outstanding!! WE loved this. I used a ham bone instead of sausage, otherwise followed exactly. There are 3 of us and we all loved it, never got tired of it. Paired with cornbread. YUM!

These were ok. I prefer just plain old seasoned pinto beans. A pretty good dish to feed a lot of people though.

Absolutely fabulous! My friend tried some and said it was the best thing he's ever eaten. Will definitely make this again.

Nothing special. Taste is just OK. Far soupier than I expected. If I were to make this again - unlikely - I would cut the water by a third.

Delicious. I made it with venison sausage instead of kielbasa. I substituted one cup of chicken stock for 1 cup of water and added a can of diced tomatoes. I also added two teaspoons of worcestershire sauce in for some added flavor. Served over rice. Totally awesome.

This was good, another way to cook beans. It was a bit zesty, but my taste buds didn't think it was anything exceptional. I added a bit of feta on top, which helped. Probably won't make it again.

My family did not care for this. Too much mushy bean texture (probably would be better without the ranch-style beans). Got sick of the taste after four or five bites. I prefer food I can enjoy until my plate is empty. Way too heavy with that 'canned' taste.

This was great! I used hot Italian sausage as my DH loves it.

These beans were amazing! I didn't use pickled jalapenos and added the green bell pepper right at the beginning. I loved the slight sweetness of the finished beans, almost like baked beans. We had this over jasmine rice. I can't wait to eat leftovers for lunch today with some tortilla chips!

This is so good and will become a staple in my home. I served with rice and cornbread. Delicious!!!! Thank you D-M-C for the recipe!!!

followed the recipe but had canned pintos so i cooked on the stove with 3 cups of water. i did rinse the beans. i cooked the onions and the sausage in the bacon fat and then added everything else, 3 cups of water, seasonings. BTB then simmered covered for about 1.5 hrs. Served with white rice, cheddar, and scallions

Very, very good! This was a huge hit with the family. My teenage boy had a friend over and I heard plenty of "mmmmmmmm's" coming from that side of the table. I used leftover ham in place of the bacon and sausage, and it absorbed the other flavors nicely. I didn't use a can of ranch style beans and cut the vinegar in half 'cause I never want to taste it. Serving it with brown rice, shredded cheese and green onion as suggested is perfect. Added some chopped tomato the following night which added another great texture. Ya did good!

DELICIOUS!!! I will definitely make this again!

Yummy! Great beans, would make again.

Outstanding! I made these pretty much to the recipe, but made the following tweaks. I used a little more bacon, discarded the drippings, and used smoked sausage (browned) instead of the kielbasa. I didn't have dried onion, so used fresh. Finally, I also didn't have green peppers or green onions on hand and I definitely think these beans could have benefited from both. I warmed up some tortillas in a hot pan and spooned the beans in, added a little shredded cheddar, and rolled them up. My only suggestion is to not add any salt until near the end of cooking so they soften up without a 9-10 hour cooking time. I will be making these regularly.

My husband and I really enjoyed these beans. The only thing I did differently was to substitute andouille sausage and hamhocks for the kielbasa sausage and the bacon because that is what I had. I also used real onion instead of the dried onion. My husband doctored his up with more jalapenos and some Slap Yo' Mama hot sauce because he really likes more heat than most people. It was a great recipe and we'll definitely use it again.

Made as written and these turned out pretty good. The bacon gets lost so you really don't even need to add it you are using the sausage. I thought these had plenty of flavor and I would definitely make again.

I don't get it. I read so many great reviews on this, but there was just not much to it. I had to add quite a bit more salt and added garlic because there was just not much flavor to it. My kids really seemed to like it, but my husband and I were not impressed. Sorry.

Delicious! I added 1TBSP of maple syrup. Next time, I will put in 3TBSP maple syrup, and leave out the white sugar.

This was good. The only thing that I would change would be is to eliminate, the sugar. It made it taste too sweet and add more jalapenos.

My type of recipe. A little involved but nothing I couldn't handle. It's very filling and very tasty. I made it exactly as the recipe called for, but I may tweak it a little the next time. I will definitely be making this recipe again. What I made it last night I ate it as it came out of the slow cooker. Tonight I'm going to put it over a bed of rice. Being single this pot should last me the rest of the week.

A lot of works but makes a lot of food. I liked, but my husband did not.

will make again

I really liked this dish. The flavors are so interesting and balanced. I followed the recipe except I didn't have ranch-style beans, so I left them out and sprinkled a little chili powder in the pot instead. Very good, everyone in my family liked it.