This dish is beyond easy. Just chop a couple of veggies, quickly saute, and toss in the Crock Pot. I spontaneously threw this together to go with some chicken enchiladas I made last night… I tossed it up in a matter of minutes and had it cooking while I made the enchiladas. When they were done, so were the beans. Love that… doesn’t get much simpler really.
The funny thing about this dish is that it was inspired by a Thai bean chili my mom makes… however there’s nothing really Thai about this whatsoever. Some bell pepper, onion, garlic, and chili seasonings all slow cooked and then topped with Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and cilantro and voila, it’s done. It’s slightly spicy, very flavorful, and would go well with nearly any entrée. It’s a little side of wholesome chili goodness… or I suppose it could even be a main dish if you wanted!
If you don’t want to wait a few hours for these to be done, no biggie at all… since everything is cooked when it goes in, you can shorten the time if wanted. Also, if a Crock Pot is not in your plans, you could easily do this in a pot over the stove by simply sautéing the veggies in a pot rather than a pan and then adding the beans to that directly. It’s a very accommodating dish like that… 🙂
HERE are the enchiladas… they were mighty delicious alongside these spicy beans! In a perfect world, I would have made these with dried beans completely from scratch, soaked overnight and all; I was looking for something simple and easy though. I was already pretty involved in my enchiladas, so this was the perfect easy side for me…
Makes about 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 yellow onion (1 cup diced)
1 green bell pepper (1 cup diced)
3 garlic cloves (1 tbsp minced)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder (see my homemade blend HERE)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups cooked black beans (homemade, or 2 cans drained)
2 cups diced tomatoes (or 1 can, w/juice)
1 tbsp olive oil
to garnish: Greek yogurt or sour cream and fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Dice up the onion, pepper, and garlic
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat
Add the onions and peppers
Add the chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper
Stir well to evenly coat everything
Saute for a few minutes, until onions are slightly softened
Add the garlic
Add the diced tomatoes and bay leaf
If not already rinsed, give beans a quick rinse and strain
Add everything to the Crock Pot
Stir it all together
Cover it and cook it on low for 3 hours
(this time is flexible since there is no meat and everything is already cooked…
if you need it to cook longer or shorter, no prob)
That’s it… done!
Pour the beans into a serving bowl…
discard the bay leaf
Top it off with some Greek yogurt or sour cream and a couple of fresh cilantro leaves
