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A bowl of pinto beans in front of the slow cooker.
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Crockpot Pinto Beans Vegetarian

Making vegetarian pinto beans in the slow cooker is one of the best ways to cook flavorful beans. They cook slowly throughout the day using only a handful of ingredients and require very little attention throughout the day. At the end of the day you’ve got a tasty batch of beans to use in meals.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 109kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pinto beans soaked in salt water overnight
  • ½ onion diced (about 1 cup)
  • ½ bell pepper about ½ cup
  • 1 chipotle meco optional
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 3 - 4 cups water or broth

Instructions

  • Place soaked pinto beans in the slow cooker with onions, bell pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle meco, if you are using it, salt, and pepper. Add three cups of water or broth.
  • Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3.5-4 hours. Stir frequently and if needed add more water.
  • When the beans are almost tender, stir the tomato paste into the beans and continue cooking. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.

Notes

You can roast the chili for five minutes at 400° F before adding it to the pot.
It’s essential to soak dried beans before cooking them in the slow cooker. Soaking not only makes them cook more quickly but soaking also helps break down the beans to make them more digestible. 
Add salt to your soaking liquid. This creates the perfect consistency in your beans by softening the skins so they cook at the same time as the inside of the beans, reducing the number of beans that blow out of their skin. If you don't, you may need to add a bit more salt to season your cooked beans.
Add the tomato paste at the end of cooking. The acid in the tomatoes slows down the cooking process which is why it’s added close to the end of cooking.
Check occasionally during cooking to make sure the beans are covered with enough water.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 503mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 683IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg