Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans

A few weeks ago I ate some amazing Mexican beans.  They were made by my nephew's wife, and she said that it was her grandpa's recipe.  I always like to find a family recipe that's been passed down through the generations. 

Their home is on a lake on the Olympic Peninsula, and after an afternoon of swimming, playing on the rope swing and trampoline, we were all starving!  The piles of hot dogs, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, garlic mashed potatoes, salad, and Mexican beans hit the spot.  Maybe it was sitting around a camp fire with their serene lake beside us, but I ate two helpings of those beans!

Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans

1.  Prepare beans:  Wash 5 cups of pinto beans and put in a large bowl with water to cover.
In the morning, pour off the water.

2.  Put the beans into a soup pot and add enough fresh water to cover. 

3.  Cook up 1 pound of hamburger or ground turkey and add to the pot.

3.  Add  seasonings & rotel tomatoes:
(1)   5 cloves of minced garlic and 2 cans of rotel tomatoes.
(2) Then she adds 1 packet of chili seasoning, but because I have celiac disease, I'm going to add 1 T of chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin 1-2 T of fresh cilantro, 2 tsp. of salt,  1/2 tsp. of black pepper, and 1/2 tsp. of oregano. 

5.  Simmer until the beans are tender about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Taste and make any seasoning adjustments.  She told me she usually adds more chili powder.

6.  Condiments:  Chop up a bowl of sweet onion and grate up a bowl of cheddar cheese.

Note:  Sara told me the texture is more like a stew.

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Great Beef Enchiladas - From my church cookbook, Come & Dine
El Dorada Beef & Cheese Casserole  - From my Heritage School cookbook
Mexican Beef & Bean Pie - From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
The Best Fish Tacos   (Modified from Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans (from my nephew's wife-a yummy side dish that is thick like a stew)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)
Make Your Own Chicken Burrito Bowls  - A combo of my favorite recipes for beans &chicken

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in California)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)