What do I do with pinto beans?

My kiddos don't seem to like meat, so my doctor suggested beans. I bought some dried pinto beans, but now I can'tfind a good way to make them for them. I find all sorts of stuff for adults (spicy, too many ingredients), but not kid-friendly stuff.

 

My girls only like canned baked beans and refried beans. I've tried others with no luck.

 

My girls love pintos. My MIL makes them b/c I don't eat them, but she puts them in a crock pot and add frys some fat back and put that (w/ the grease) in it w/ water and cooks during the day. They love it.

 

i soak them for like 2 hours then start boiling them.. i boil for like an hour and add pinto bean flavoring..(you can find it at the store) then add bacon or pork, boil for another hour then turn down to simmer Add tomatoes, onions, and simmer for 2 hours and then add cilantro simmer for 30 more mins or until beans are soft.. They come out really yummy@!!! and not spicy at all!! MY DD loves them!!
Then the day after with the left overs i make bean and cheese burritos..

 

I add bacon grease (which I save in a jelly jar in the fridge) or a ham bone. You can buy just the ham bones in the meat dept for pretty cheap. It adds nice flavor.

 

I'm Italian and we grew up eating pasta & beans. I use canned pintos but you could also use the dry beans after they have been soaked. I sautee the beans with a little garlic (optional) and add a cup of small cooked pasta (I use ditalini), some parmesan cheese and a small can of tomato sause. It is delicious!

 

I use the soak and cook method. When I cook them I add onion, pinto bean seasoning, a ham bone or bacon, and sometimes fresh cilantro.

 

I cook mine in a crockpot with chicken or beef broth instead of water. It really gives them a good flavor. I also add some ham or bacon. Of course I add other seasonings and some rotel, but you can always go lighter on those ingredients so they are not so spicy. We have mixed them with some rice and my two loved that! They also love black eyed peas.

 

I don't have any great ideas for pinto beans, but I did want to say that beans are a great source of protein and we eat them a alot (DH is a vegetarian, so we hardly ever make meat here).

My boys will eat canned (drain them and rinse them) black beans plain, they love them.

Also, I got a cookbook from the library called "The Sneaky Chef" and it has ways of sneaking proteins like beans into other foods, for instance she suggests pureeing white beans like cannellini beans, and putting a quarter cup into packaged mac n cheese. You can also try it with a bit of tofu into the mac n cheese sauce. It's not a lot, but if your kids will eat the mac n cheese you can sneak a bit of protein in. You should check out that book if you have the chance.

Good luck!

 

I use pinto beans in taco soup, but I don't really know anything about what kids like to eat, do they like tacos?

 

My babies LOVE beans. Whole Foods makes kidney and black beans without salt, so we buy those. I rinse them after heating them. I hadn't thought about pinto beans...

I usually make pasta or rice to go with them and add some cheese at the end. It helps the rice stick together so we don't have a huge mess. Also, consider avocados.

 

We also soak and cook. I soak them overnight and then dump the water and use fresh water for boiling. I add bacon grease or, occasionally, just boil them straight. The girls don't seem to notice the difference. You can also cook them in a pressure cooker, if you have one. You can just give them to the kids in a bowl, no extra prep needed.

 

The boys didn't seem to like the pinto beans. I soaked them, boiled them, and served them. They made the most awful face. Oh well. I usually make taco soup about once a month. I might use the ones I already bought for that. I guess we'll have to stick with yogurt and eggs for protein.

 

Before you give up on beans altogether, you might want to try some different varieties, and some canned versions. Brandon eats beans, he has eaten beans since he was little bitty (seriously they were like his first food). He definitely prefers black, great northerns, and navy beans, to pintos. I have actually seen him leave pintos on the plate and beans are usually the first thing gone.

 

We actually buy the ones in cans, pinto and black beans. My nanny makes rice and beans all the time for the girls. She cooks the beans on the stove with onions and some spices. It's a big hit. We then use the left over beans to make some bean and cheese quesadillas. The other thing she does is make some eggs and beans. Black beans are more popular with us and we go through a couple cans a week.

 

Agreed! Don't forget about beans!!! Get the canned varieties - SO much easier, and as I said, Whole Foods has them without salt if that's a concern. I still rinse them before serving so there isn't any juice on them (less messy).

 

Our guys love beans. They especially liked kidney beans. I just boil them and then cut then in half (I'm a bit worried about choking). Lentils are also great as they have a peppery flavor. The guys like the green lentils not so much the yellow ones.