It gets no cozier than these flavorful pinto beans with ground beef, just like my Grandma Carolyn used to make! Let me show you how simple it is to create a pot of the ultimate comfort food--that your whole family will love--with just a few budget-friendly ingredients.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my Texas-style BBQ baked beans, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Easy to Make - You don't need any advanced technique or cooking gadgets to make this recipe happen. It's beginner-friendly, so you'll want to keep it in rotation.
One-Pot Magic - Everything comes together in one pot for easy clean up! Pinto beans with ground meat is a whole meal by itself, but I have included serving ideas below, too.
Full of Fiber and Protein - With 13 grams of fiber and 35 grams of protein per serving, this dish delivers more than many people eat in a whole day, all in one bowl!
Layers of Southern Flavor - I use classic Third Coast ingredients like sweet onion, bay leaf, and Cajun Creole seasoning, plus one secret spice to make each bite better than the last.
👉🏾 I grew up in my Grandmother's kitchen, and she taught me how to make so many Soul Food staples like braised black-eyed peas, sweet southern cornbread, mustard greens with ham hocks, and sour cream pound cake!
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What You'll Need for this Recipe
Dried Pinto Beans are the star of this dish, and I recommend using them because they soak up the most flavor when you start from dry. They are also significantly cheaper than canned beans!
Lean Ground Beef (93%/7%) is my preference, but you can also use fattier grinds like 85%/15%.
Creole Seasoning adds almost all the spice we'll need for the beans, including smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, and thyme. I recommend using my homemade Creole seasoning, but feel free to grab your favorite store-bought version for convenience.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Tomato - I've made this recipe successfully using either canned tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, or fresh tomato puree. All turn out well, so feel free to use what's available.
Meat - You can swap in ground turkey, chicken, or pork, if needed. Just note that ground poultry does not render much fat when cooking, so you'll need to add a spoonful of cooking oil for the aromatics.
Molasses - I love the subtle earthy sweetness that molasses adds to this dish, but you can instead use the same amount of dark or light brown sugar for a similar effect. Honey, maple syrup, and sugar-free sweetener options can also work.
Broth - You can use beef broth, poultry broth, or even veggie broth here--regular or low sodium.
How to Cook Pinto Beans with Hamburger Meat
- Step 1: Rinse the beans, then soak them in water overnight.
- Step 2: Dice the bell pepper and onion, and mince the garlic.
Pro Tip #1
Soaking the beans is optional, but it helps the beans cook faster, so I usually do it before going to bed if I plan to start the beans in the morning, or first thing when I wake up, in order to make them later in the day.
- Step 3: Brown the ground beef, then remove but leave the drippings.
- Step 4: Sauté the chopped vegetables with the spices and bay leaf.
Pro Tip #2
If your ground beef doesn't render a lot of fat while cooking, add a tablespoon or two of cooking oil to the pot for step four.
- Step 5: Add beans, broth, tomato sauce, and molasses to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Step 6: Add the ground beef back, then simmer until the beans are tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Like many bean dishes, these store well and just get better with time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to seven days.
Yes! To freeze, cool the beans to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. I like to use Souper Cubes for easy portioning and thawing. Keeps for up to six months once frozen.
How to Serve
Temperature: These beans taste best when hot--but be careful!
Pairings: Serve it with honey cornbread or fluffy yellow rice, and you've got a dinner winner every time. Plain white rice or quinoa pair nicely, too.
Occasions: This is a great meal prep or freezer-meal option to have on hand year round, especially during the cold months. My grandmother used to cook a big batch for us to keep in the freezer and thaw as needed, which was especially helpful when my mom was postpartum or sick.
More Favorite Beans Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy Texas pinto beans with ground beef soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Southern-Style Pinto Beans with Ground Beef
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 knife
- 1 large Dutch oven or 6-quart cooking pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- water
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground meat of your choice.
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup tomato sauce or tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Soak the Beans: Add beans to a large bowl, then cover with one or two inches of water and soak overnight or for about eight hours. Drain and rinse, then set aside.1 pound dried pinto beans, water
- Prep the Vegetables: Dice the onion and bell pepper, and crush or mince the garlic.1 bell pepper, 1 yellow onion, 6-8 cloves garlic
- Brown the Meat: In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the ground beef, then remove from pot. If using lean meat, add 1-2 tablepoons of cooking oil to the pot.1 pound lean ground beef, 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- Bloom the Aromatics: Add the chopped pepper and onion to the pot along with spices, and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent and the ingredients are fragrant (about 4 minutes), then add the garlic and cook for one more minute.1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Stir in the beans, broth, tomato sauce, molasses, and bay leaf, and increase the heat to medium-high.1 tablespoon molasses, 1 cup tomato sauce, 4 cups beef broth, 1 bay leaf
- Finish and Serve: Bring the mixture to a boil, then carefully add the ground beef back tot he pot, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Serve warm.
Jerred says
Amazing flavor from such a simple recipe. This is my favorite way to eat beans now. Thank you!
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're so welcome, Jerred, and thank you for your feedback!