Slow Cooker Black Beans

Slow Cooker Chronicles

October 2, 2012 at 4:59 pm
by Heather Eng

I recently spent two weeks in Guatemala, studying Spanish at this school. While I was there, I learned lots of the language, climbed a volcano, lived with local families and ate a ton of good food–especially black or white beans with corn tortillas.

Now that I’m back in the States, I’m craving more of those meals. And while I knew I wouldn’t be able to replicate exactly what I ate in Guatemala, I decided to make my own riff on black beans in the slow cooker. My friend, Karen, is a slow cooker pro, and she gave me the rundown of how she makes them. I followed her tips and seasoned them similarly to how I make beans on the stovetop.

The result: a super-simple meal that yielded lots of leftovers. Exactly what I was going for!

slow cooker black beans

Slow Cooker Black Beans

Makes: 6-8 servings
Prep: 10 minutes (plus soaking the beans for 6-8 hours)
Slow Cook: 8 hours on LOW

Ingredients:
1 lb. dried black beans
1 large onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
8 cups water
1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped

Directions:
Sort and soak beans for at least six to eight hours. Rinse and put into slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper and water. Stir, cover and set on LOW for eight hours. Once done, stir in cilantro. (I recommend serving the beans with rice or tortillas, avocado, eggs and hot sauce!)

What’s your favorite slow cooker bean recipe? Share in the comments below!

Heather Eng is web editor of FamilyCircle.com.

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