Black Beans with Chiles
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 8 servings
- Prep 15 mins
- Cook 85 mins
Turn the bag of hard little black pebbles into a side -- or filling -- for just about any Mexican-style dish.
Mark Boughton
These beans are the perfect side to cheese quesadillas, tacos or enchiladas. Add extra broth and purée the beans until they're creamy for a black bean soup, if preferred.
Ingredients
- 1 pound black turtle beans
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 small carrot, chopped
- 2 whole serrano chiles or 1 jalapeño chile (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 pound bacon, chopped
- 4 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse beans. Place beans in a large bowl or Dutch oven. Cover with water by several inches. Let soak overnight.
- Place bacon, onion and carrot in a Dutch oven. Cook until bacon is crisp and onion is tender. Drain beans and add to pan. Add whole chiles, bay leaves, cumin, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Uncover and simmer until beans are very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and chiles.
