Frijoles de la Olla Recipe
Dried pinto beans are gently simmered with onion, garlic, and epazote until tender and surrounded by a savory bean broth in this foundational Mexican comfort-food recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- 8 cups water plus more as needed
- ½ medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 large sprig fresh epazote optional
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- Optional for Serving
- - Chopped white onion
- - Chopped cilantro
- - Crumbled queso fresco
- - Sliced serrano chile
- - Lime wedges
- - Warm corn tortillas
Instructions
- Spread the dried beans out on a baking sheet or clean work surface and pick through them, removing any small stones, debris, or damaged beans.
- Rinse the beans thoroughly under cool running water.
- Add the beans to a large heavy pot or Dutch oven with 8 cups of water, the onion, and garlic.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Partially cover the pot and cook until the beans begin to soften, checking occasionally to make sure they remain covered with liquid. Add hot water as necessary.
- After about 1 hour, begin checking the beans periodically for tenderness. Cooking time can vary significantly depending on the variety and age of the beans.
- Once the beans are mostly tender, add the epazote and salt.
- Continue simmering until the beans are completely tender and creamy inside but still mostly intact. The cooking liquid should have developed into a flavorful, lightly thickened bean broth.
- Remove the onion, garlic, and epazote stem if desired.
- Taste the broth and adjust the salt.
- Ladle the beans into bowls with plenty of their broth.
- Serve simply or finish with chopped onion, cilantro, queso fresco, serrano, or lime according to your preference.
Notes
Do I need to soak the beans?
No. Larousse publishes traditional frijoles de la olla methods both with and without soaking, so soaking isn't a requirement for authenticity. It can shorten or make cooking time more predictable, but we're using an unsoaked stovetop method here. Keep an eye on the water.
The beans should remain submerged while cooking. Add hot water when needed. Bean age matters.
Older dried beans can take considerably longer to soften, so use tenderness rather than the clock as your final test. Don't cook them at a violent boil.
A steady simmer is enough. Want black beans instead?
Use them. Regional Mexican preparations vary considerably, and black beans are particularly associated with parts of southern and southeastern Mexico.
No. Larousse publishes traditional frijoles de la olla methods both with and without soaking, so soaking isn't a requirement for authenticity. It can shorten or make cooking time more predictable, but we're using an unsoaked stovetop method here. Keep an eye on the water.
The beans should remain submerged while cooking. Add hot water when needed. Bean age matters.
Older dried beans can take considerably longer to soften, so use tenderness rather than the clock as your final test. Don't cook them at a violent boil.
A steady simmer is enough. Want black beans instead?
Use them. Regional Mexican preparations vary considerably, and black beans are particularly associated with parts of southern and southeastern Mexico.