Hallelujah, I have finally found a way to cook dry beans with NO SOAKING required.
I always prefer to cook beans from scratch when I can. Dry beans are so much cheaper than the canned stuff and have much less sodium as well. I am also of the opinion that they taste better. They are creamier and have more of an earthy taste to them.
For ages I followed my weekend routine of soaking black beans overnight on Saturday and cooking them in the pressure cooker on Sunday mornings. The beans lost so much of their beautiful black color overnight leaving them looking like a grape skittle that has been sucked on for a few minutes. Not very appetizing.
Cooking them in the pressure cooker was time-efficient, but the beans would burst and I could never guarantee the same texture twice.
Finally, I found this recipe from The Kitchn for cooking beans in the oven and it has changed my life. Simply dump your ingredients (without soaking the beans!) into a pot, put it in the oven, and an hour and fifteen minutes later you have perfectly cooked beans, every time.
We eat them with various meals throughout the week, or for a quick snack we’ll throw a few in a bowl, put cheese and scallions on top, and nuke it in the microwave for thirty seconds. Pintos and cheese, ole!
Here’s the recipe (I haven’t changed it one bit!):
Makes: 6 cups cooked beans (the equivalent of four 15 oz. cans), or 12 half cup servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. dried beans (any kind, but not lentils)
- Salt
- Seasonings (I usually toss in a bay leaf, some cumin, chili powder, minced garlic, and black pepper)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sort through your beans and remove any debris.
- Place the sorted dry beans in a 3-quart or larger Dutch Oven with a tight-fitting lid.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch.
- Put on the lid and bake for one hour and fifteen minutes.
- Check the beans and stir them. If they are tender, take them out of the oven.
- If they aren’t done, put them back in the oven for 15-minute intervals. If they appear to be drying out, add a cup of hot water.
- Store in the fridge, covered. You can also divide the cooked beans and freeze them for later use.
Recipe: The Kitchn
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving):
114 calories, 0 g. fat, 8 g. protein, 20 g. carbs, 7.5 g. fiber. WW PointsPlus: 2
Comments
These are by far the best tasting beans I’ve ever eaten! In the past, used the soak method, but I’m always looking for new and improved recipes–this is it for beans! I bought local red and black beans from New Seasons, added the bay leaf, minced garlic, salt, pepper. Planned to use them in a chili recipe, but my husband and I couldn’t stop eating them as they were!
Anetta,
I’m a bit confused by the recipe. You state that “you didn’t change the recipe on bit”; however, when I looked at the recipe at The Kitchn ….. it clearly states to soak the beans overnight….. and you DID NOT SOAK THE BEANS.
So do you have the soak the beans?
Thank you
Hi, Samantha! So sorry, this was one of my first blog posts ever and I wasn’t very good with recipe writing back then. Do NOT soak the beans. Just put them in a pot with the water and pop the whole thing in the oven 🙂
Anetta,
Thanks so much for your quick reply. I appreciate.
I am doing this now with black beans. It is certainly taking longer than an hour and 15 minutes. The water is only half gone and beans are still crunchy. Advice?
Hmm, I’ve never had that problem so I’m not sure what the issue could be! Maybe the beans are old? Sorry I can’t be of more help – I make my beans like this every week so I can’t fathom what the difference might be!
So your recipe is different than the one posted on the kitchn. They say you bring the beans to a boil first on the stove but in yours you just throw it all in the oven. Have you tried it both ways?
I haven’t tried boiling it first, I just put mine straight into the oven 🙂
I’d rather save time with the pressure cooker than let them for 75 minutes in the oven.
I do this, too! I love beans baked in the oven! Sometimes, the beans get pretty stuck on the pan. Do you ever oil your dutch oven before you bake your beans?
I haven’t had that problem yet – I’m using an enameled cast iron Dutch oven… what kind are you using?
This is a great recipe for black beans. I tried this a few weeks ago and it was a big hit. Leftovers lasted over a week getting better it seemed every time we reheated them.