In the last few months I have been cooking with pinto beans. I saw them on a food shop I was doing online and thought they looked interesting. I discovered after ordering them that these beans are loaded with nutrition and they are an excellent source of fibre. Pinto beans are also rich in antioxidants and they might be able to help regulate blood sugar levels too. They are a red-ish brown colour and when cooked they have an earthy, nutty flavour. Therefore they compliment a tomato sauce with pasta perfectly. Below is a video and recipe for you.
What are your favourite beans and how do you like to eat them? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Colander
- Saucepan
- Blender
- Tablespoon
- Spoon
- Baking tray
Ingredients for the bean balls
- Pinto beans x 200g
- Tomato puree x 2 tbsps
- Almond flour x 2 – 4 tbsps
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Rosemary x 1 large sprig
Method for the bean balls
- Weigh and measure the pinto beans.
- Soak them overnight in cold water in the fridge.
- When you want to cook the pinto beans drain them through the colander and rinse.
- Put them into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover them and about 2 inches more.
- Add baking powder to the water and salt.
- Next turn the hob onto high and bring to the boil.
- Once boiling turn the heat down and reduce to a simmer.
- Leave on the hob until the pinto beans are soft.
- Depending on how old they are will depend on how long they take to soften.
- The baking powder will help to soften them a bit faster.
- When I cook pinto beans they do normally take around thirty to forty minutes to soften.
- If you haven’t got the time then you can always use tinned instead.
- Leave the beans to cool if using cooked beans.
- Once the beans have cooled, put them into the blender.
- Add in the tomato puree, almond flour, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.
- Blend these all ingredients together.
- Once the ingredients are blended remove the blade and start to make the bean balls.
- Dampen your hands under a tap.
- When your hands are damp split the mix into four parts.
- The split the four parts into three or four balls.
- Grab a piece of the mixture and roll it between your hands.
- Put this onto a plate and roll the rest of the mixture.
- You may need to dampen your hands a couple of times during the process.
- Put the bean balls into the fridge for between 2 – 6 hours. .
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 5.
- Once the oven has preheated put the bean balls onto a baking trays and put the tray into the oven.
- Cook the balls for about 15 – 20 minutes or until they turn a golden brown colour.
Ingredients for the pasta tomato sauce
- Onion x 1
- Red pepper x 1
- Courgette x 1
- Tomatoes x 2 400g tins
- Dried mixed herbs x 1 tsps
- Stock x 100mls
Method the pasta sauce
- Peel and grate the courgette.
- Next peel, slice and dice the onion.
- Slice the top from the red pepper and remove the core and stalk.
- Now slice the flesh of the pepper.
- Put the sauce pan onto a high heat on the hob.
- Add oil to the base of the pan.
- Once the pan is hot add in the onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
- If the pan gets to hot turn the heat down slightly.
- Now add in the grated courgette and sliced red pepper.
- If the ingredients stick to the base of the pan add a little water.
- Fry these ingredients for a good five minutes or until everything is soft.
- Next add in the tomatoes and the stock and turn the heat back up.
- Sprinkle over the dried mixed herbs, salt and pepper to your taste.
- Bring all the ingredients to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and leave to simmer.
- Leave on the hob for 30 minutes or so.
- This can be made before the oven is preheated for the meatballs.
- Once the sauce has started to thicken remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- When the sauce has cooled pour into the blender.
- Blend these ingredients until they are smooth.
- Put the sauce back onto a low heat and leave to simmer.
- When the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is thick and creamy add a green vegetable of your choice and serve.
- Then enjoy.
Pinto Bean Balls in a Tomato and Pasta Sauce was a hit with my husband and myself. My son Ted on the other hand was not a huge fan. The meal was easy to prepare and cook. I made the bean balls and the sauce in the morning. Then all I had to do was heat them through before we wanted to eat them. The best part about this dish is you can make the beans balls and sauce in advance and store them in the fridge or freezer. Also this dish made a yummy leftover lunch the next day as well. However you decide to eat this dish, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 