Easy Brothy Pinto Beans Recipe

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Easy Brothy Pinto Beans are a flavorful 6-ingredient meal with fiber and plant protein. Lemony, garlicky, creamy, and ready in 30 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegan, vegetarian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 228kcal

3 cups cooked pinto beans (about 1¼ cups dry before cooking), or 2 (15-ounce) cans
2 cups bean cooking water or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
1 medium leek white and light green parts, chopped
1 small yellow onion small dice
6 cloves garlic minced
1 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
1 tablespoon mellow miso dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the aromatics: Add the leek and onion to a large skillet or Dutch oven with ½ cup bean cooking water. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very soft and almost melting. Add splashes of water as needed to prevent sticking.
Add the garlic: Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute.
Simmer: Add ¼ cup pinto beans and ½ cup bean cooking liquid or vegetable broth. Mash the beans with a fork until mostly smooth and mix well. Add the remaining beans and liquid, stir well, and simmer partially covered for about 10 minutes, or until slightly thick and creamy, adding more liquid as desired. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Finish: Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and dissolved miso. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

See the blog post for:

Nutrition with tofu cream: 345 calories, 27g protein, and 17g fiber per serving.

Or serve with my quick nondairy cream instead made with hemp hearts.

Add a whole grain of your choice. I served my beans with amaranth.