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    Home » Budget Vegan

    Drunken Pinto Beans over Creamy Polenta

    Dec 7, 2018 · by Kate Kasbee · Modified: Jul 17, 2019

    Jump to Recipe·5 from 2 reviews

    How often do you cook with beer, wine, or liquor? It’s not unusual to catch me cooking with a glass of wine in hand (in fact, it’s pretty common). But, for some reason, my favorite cabernet hardly ever makes it into a recipe. It really should! Wine adds incredible depth and flavor to sauces, soups, and stews. As it turns out, so does beer.

    drunken pinto beans this recipe

    I’m not a big beer drinker anymore; it makes me super bloated and gives me a terrible headache. But, I still love the flavor. In one of my deep dives down an Internet rabbit hole, I discovered a way to enjoy beer without a monster hangover: drunken beans. Here, we use beer to simmer pinto beans with a bunch of spices and spoon it over a bowl of creamy polenta. Swoon.

    drunken pinto beans

    This hearty and satisfying dinner covers the three Bs: beer, beans, and (vegan) bacon. I totally just made up that three Bs thing, but the flavors do go amazingly well together. Drunken beans (a.k.a. burracho beans, burracho means drunk in Spanish) are traditionally made with a dark lager-style beer and bacon. I say use whatever beer you have leftover in your fridge and (obviously) opt for vegan bacon.

    drunken pinto beans

    I recommend springing for the fancy vegan bacon in this recipe. Sweet Earth Hickory & Sage Benevolent Bacon is seriously delicious. Sweet Earth has a handy tool on its website that shows you where you can purchase Benevolent Bacon in your area. I found it at Whole Foods in the refrigerated section near the tofu and other meat alternatives. Meijer carries it as well, though it was out of stock at my local store.
    drunken pinto beans

    drunken pinto beans

    Our Drunken Pinto Beans over Creamy Polenta makes a terrific weeknight dinner. The beans are relatively hands-off and the polenta only requires the occasional stir to prevent clumping and sticking. Garnish with extra cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime!

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    drunken pinto beans

    Drunken Pinto Beans over Creamy Polenta

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Kate Kasbee
    • Prep Time: 10 mins
    • Cook Time: 30 mins
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 4 servings 1x
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Our Drunken Pinto Beans over Creamy Polenta makes a terrific weeknight dinner. Garnish with extra cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the drunken beans:

    • 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
    • 1 cup onion, small diced
    • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 15.5-oz can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes
    • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
    • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
    • 2 tsp. chili powder
    • 1 tsp. cumin
    • ¾ tsp. salt
    • 1 12-oz. can or bottle of Mexican beer (or 1½ cups of low-sodium vegetable broth)
    • 1 5.5-oz. package of vegan bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used Sweet Earth Hickory & Sage Benevolent Bacon)
    • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
    • Juice of ½ lime

    For the polenta:

    • 1½ cups of water
    • 1 cup of plain, unsweetened almond milk
    • ¾ cup of polenta corn grits (I used Bob's Red Mill)
    • 2 Tbsp. of vegan butter
    • ⅛ tsp. salt

    For serving:

    • Chopped cilantro, green onion, and lime wedges

    Instructions

    1. Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
    2. Add the pinto beans, diced tomatoes, maple syrup, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the skillet; stir to combine. Pour in the beer or vegetable broth and turn to medium heat. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and most of the liquid has cooked off. When done it should be the consistency of chili.
    3. Meanwhile, in a smaller skillet, heat the other teaspoon of olive oil. Add the vegan bacon and cook until browned and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegan bacon and any leftover oil to the skillet with the pinto beans. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and adjust flavors to taste.
    4. To cook the polenta, combine the water and almond milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Slowly stir in the polenta. Return to a simmer and cook until the polenta is thick and creamy, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in the vegan butter and season with salt.
    5. To serve, divide the polenta between four bowls and top with a generous scoop of drunken beans (you'll have leftovers). Garnish with extra cilantro, green onion, and a lime wedge.

    Notes

    Omit or halve the jalapeño if you're sensitive to heat.

    Tip: Eat leftover drunken beans for breakfast in our recipe for Vegan Chilaquiles!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 359
    • Sugar: 6.7 g
    • Sodium: 837.6 mg
    • Fat: 12.4 g
    • Carbohydrates: 43.9 g
    • Protein: 16.1 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Matt B

      March 29, 2024 at 2:20 pm

      Feeding a family of five is not for the weak of heart. The children (16, 11/11) ate it up and the youngest one really liked it! Saved this recipe and will make again!!

      Reply
    2. VJ Ross

      August 02, 2020 at 6:43 am

      Thank you for the recipe it sounds great and I want to try it. I am glad that you indicated the nutrition information. Do you know the fiber content?

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        August 03, 2020 at 10:33 am

        Yeah! It's 11g of fiber.

        Reply
    3. Concepcion Garza

      September 08, 2019 at 9:38 am

      Hi!
      The word “borracho” means drunk in spanish

      Reply
    4. Tori

      February 20, 2019 at 2:38 pm

      Do you think this would work with other types of beans?

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        February 20, 2019 at 4:24 pm

        Yeah, I think kidney or black beans would work well too! But pinto would be my first choice 🙂

        Reply
    5. Kiera

      February 06, 2019 at 9:53 pm

      Could you help me make this recipe in the instant pot?

      Reply
      • Katie Koteen

        February 07, 2019 at 10:49 am

        Hi Kiera! Unfortunately, I haven't tried this recipe in the InstantPot. My best guess would be to use the sauté mode for step #1 and then for step #2, cook for maybe 8 minutes at pressure and allow the pressure to release naturally. I would also cook the tempeh bacon ahead of time, so you could incorporate it in step #2. Good luck!

        Reply
    6. Tammy

      January 04, 2019 at 9:39 am

      WOW was this good! My body was craving a iron-filled meal and this hit the spot! It was tempting not to reach into the pot before it was ready and the beer gave it the extra flavor profile.
      The recipe was easy to follow. Instead of vegan bacon, I added a can of black beans. I cannot wait to make this again.

      Reply

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