Campfire Beans
My children love these beans, which we always imagine would be best served by a campfire! The recipe uses pinto beans, which you can buy pre cooked from most supermarkets. They are filling, creamy in texture, hold their shape and compliment the rich beef and tomato sauce. We like to eat this with plain rice and some, I hope you will love this recipe too.
n.b. this also works well as a vegetarian dish, you just skip the beef mince and substitute beef stock for vegetables.
pinto beans ~
Pinto beans are very nutritious and you can buy them pre cooked in tins, from most good supermarkets. They are an excellent source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals and so they are a fantastic ingredient to add into your weekly meal plan. They are also rich in various antioxidants.
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients ~
2 tablespoons oil
2 onions, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, peeled and diced
100g organic beef mince
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
150ml water
1 tin organic plum tomatoes (400g)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
500ml no added salt beef stock
2 tins cooked pinto beans (400g per tin, although this is not the drained weight)
serve with plain rice
To make the beans ~
In a large cooking pot add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, chopped onion and pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes until softened. Add the beef mince and slightly turn up the heat to brown the meat. Once the beef is well browned, add the garlic cloves, water, plum tomatoes, brown sugar (if using) and stock. Finally, add the beans stir everything really well and bring to a simmer. Leave to simmer away, so the sauce can reduce and thicken for 25-30 minutes.
You know it is ready when the sauce has thickened, the beef should be completely cooked through and almost have melted into the sauce. Serve with warm rice.