By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 2, 2026
Serves 12
113 cal · 120 min
Simmered Beans
Recipe GLPR856fed22be571a
A simple, hearty side dish of tender beans simmered with aromatic onion and bay leaf until creamy and flavorful. This versatile recipe works with pinto, black, or pink beans and serves 12.
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Ingredients
2 cups dried beans (pinto, black, or pink), rinsed
8 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Rinse the dried beans thoroughly under cold water and drain well.
In a large pot, combine the rinsed beans, water, chopped onion, and bay leaf.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer.
Allow the beans to simmer uncovered for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are completely tender and easily crushed between your fingers.
Remove and discard the bay leaf, then stir in the salt.
Continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes to allow the salt to fully incorporate and season the beans.
Serve the simmered beans hot as a side dish. For storage, let cool to room temperature and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Comments
This is an honest, cheap weeknight workhorse. Dried beans cost roughly $1–1.50 per pound at any Charlotte chain, yielding about $0.20–0.30 per serving; onions and bay leaves are pantry staples under $0.10 combined. The stated 120 minutes is mostly passive simmering with minimal active prep, though a reader should expect to soak beans overnight or do a quick-boil soak beforehand—the recipe omits this critical step, making the real total time 12–24 hours if starting from scratch. The beans reheat beautifully and freeze well, making them ideal for meal prep and southern staple dishes like bean soup, rice bowls, or refried-bean bases. A small deduction because the recipe lacks direction on bean type (black, pinto, kidney?) and doesn't specify soaking method, leaving a novice uncertain.
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