Instapot Costa Rican black beans recipe

Cooking / July 26, 2016 / By: cristina

So we got an Instapot! And, so far, we're loving it! It makes great rice and fab beans!

As a Tica, black beans are a staple in our house. (Tica is the nickname for a female from Costa Rica.) If you know anything about Latin American culture, you know we like our beans. Each country or even region has its favorite bean, and the cooking methods also vary. In Costa Rica, black beans are our go-to, there-are-no-other-beans bean, and we eat them whole, as soup, in tamales, mashed, etc. The list goes on and on.

I've been making Costa Rican black beans forever in the traditional (on a stove) method. Yesterday was first attemp at making beans using a different method. Gasp! (I know!) Ha ha! Anyway, they were super easy and turned out delish!!! So here's what I did!

Oh, and these are vegetarian and clean eating! So, bam, there you have it! Good food AND clean!

Ingredients

2 lbs dried black beans
1/2 tsp baking soda
lots of water
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions (onions are traditional, I use shallots)
3/4 c chopped green bell pepper
2 tsp Himalayan salt
2 tsp mustard
2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
more water

Preparation

1. Sort the dried beans to remove rocks, debris and bad beans.

2. Soak beans in a large pot with plenty of water. I use a dutch oven and fill it with water. Add baking powder, stir and soak over night.

3. Using the Instapot, press sauté. When the pot says "hot" then add oil and sauté onions or shallots 'til tender.

4. Rinse pre-soaked black beans thoroughly.

5. Add beans to pot and fill with water to about 1/2 inch above the bean line.

6. Add salt, mustard and cumin. Stir.

7. Close and lock the Instapot lid. Press "manual" and reduce the time to 10 minutes. Then let it cook and you are good to go!

8. When beans are done, add cilantro and stir. Now you can serve them whole or blend them for mashed black beans.

Serve over rice, with chips or on tortillas! These are great to freeze whole or mashed for easy dinners later in the week. Enjoy my Costa Rican black beans!