Lightened-Up Cowboy Beans
 
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 6 pieces Canadian bacon
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 lg. onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (or jalapeno)
  • ½ lb. Mexican chorizo sausage
  • 5 (15.5-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed, and drained again
  • 1 (10-oz.) can Rotel
  • 1 (12-oz.) bottle of light amber beer
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1½ tsp. dry oregano
  • Chicken broth, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to grill to 325°F.
  2. In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon until done. Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined dish and set aside. When cool to the touch, dice the bacon.
  3. Remove the chorizo from it's casing. Add to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned through. Remove the sausage to another paper-towel lined dish and set aside.
  4. Add the garlic, onion, and serrano chiles (or jalapeños) to the Dutch oven. Cook for a few minutes, or until the onions start to soften but watch closely so that you do not burn the garlic.
  5. Add the bacon, sausage, pinto beans, tomatoes, beer, cumin, and oregano; stir to combine. If the mixture seems a little dry, add chicken broth 1 cup at a time.
  6. Cover and place the Dutch oven on the grill or in the oven. Bake the beans for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. These beans are traditionally soupy, but if they seem too soupy, remove the lid during the last 15 minutes of cooking. If the seem dry, stir in a little chicken broth. Stir in the cilantro during the last 15 minutes of cooking and taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
This make a big pot of beans. I did not measure the cooked pot of beans to see how many cups it makes. However, when I figured the points I used 10 servings. Each serving = 3 Weight Watchers Smart Points.
Recipe by Not Just Sunday Dinner at https://notjustsundaydinner.com/lightened-up-cowboy-beans/