Stewed Red Beans

Stewed Beans in a bowl topped with cilantro.

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These Stewed Red Beans from Belize are so easy to make and are ready with almost no hands-on work! Put them in your Belizean Rice and Beans or eat them on their own for a flavorful taste of Central America.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Belizean

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 15

Servings servings

Calories 241kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

1 Crock Pot

Ingredients

1 lb Dried Red kidney beans
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ white onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
½ tbsp salt
¼ cup Cilantro

Instructions

Sort through the beans, making sure to remove any rocks. Then place the beans in a colander and rinse them to remove any dirt.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan on the stove. Then add the white onion and saute until the onion turns translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute.
Add the washed beans into the crock pot along with 7 cups of water, the sauteed onions and garlic, salt and cilantro. Put the lid on the crock pot and turn it to “High” for about 4 hours.
When there is about an hour left on the timer, stir the beans, then mash them until the liquid is creamy and the beans are in pieces but not mush. If you are using these for Belizean Rice and Beans, remove the beans from the crockpot around this time so that they are not too mushy when added to rice.
Allow the beans to cook for the last hour or longer until they reach your desired texture. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.

Red Kidney Beans: In Belize there is a type of small red bean often used for this recipe. If you are making this dish in the United States, Red Kidney Beans are the closest bet that you can find.

Vegetable Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil are all good substitutions.

Onion: I used a white onion, but you can use any type!

Garlic: Freshly minced (not jarred) for the most delicious experience.
Cilantro: I use fresh cilantro and add it right onto the crock pot.
My Belizean Red Beans took 3-4 hours on HIGH to cook to perfection, but other cooks that have made this recipe have said that their older crock pot took up to 8 hours to get the beans just right. If your crock pot tends to cook fast, you might also only need 3-4 hours to make this recipe!