Smothered Pinto Beans

Being the good southern girl that I am, one of my favorite meals is collards, cornbread, and beans.  Or I guess I should say black eyed peas.  A few weeks ago, I really got a hankering for that very meal, but I only had some dried pinto beans.  So I found a recipe for smothered pinto beans that turned out to be quite delicious, and the perfect side to go with my greens and bread.  The beans are very substantial, but packed with great veggies, what with the squash, tomatoes, corn, and zucchini.  Spice them up with with jalapeno, and top with sharp cheddar, and they are a really wonderful dish.  I especially loved the leftovers, particularly over tortilla chips to make nachos, and cold, over a salad.

We ate this as a side I guess, though really just as a part of our southern vegetable plates, but served with rice I think this would be a great one-dish meal.  Its also very quick to throw together, and very healthy.


Smothered Squash and Pinto Beans
adapted from Cooking Light, via My Recipes

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 cup sliced squash
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, or 1 3/4 cups cooked
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepperjack would all be great)

 Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and jalapeno, and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the squash and zucchini, and saute 2 minutes.  Add the corn, beans, tomatoes, and thyme.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.  Discard thyme.  Top with cheese before serving.