Slow-Cooker Baked Beans With Chorizo and Lime

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated February 7, 2023

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
6 hours and 20 minutes
Rating
4(210)
Comments
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Beans stewed with pork, tomato and something sweet is a traditional side dish at potlucks. This easy slow-cooker version is uncommonly kicky and bright, flavored with spiced Mexican-style chorizo, cilantro and lots of lime juice. Use cooked, smoked or cured chorizo, but don’t use dry-cured Spanish-style chorizo, which is a different kind of sausage altogether. There’s flexibility built into this recipe: If you like slightly sweet baked beans, use the larger amount of sugar. If you prefer a result that’s barely sweet, use the smaller amount. Likewise, the lime juice can be assertive or gentle, so use the larger or smaller amount to your taste. You may be tempted to add more liquid to the slow cooker, but resist the urge. The onion and sausage release liquid when cooking, so if you add more you will end up with bean soup instead of baked beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked about 8 hours and drained (see Tip)

  • 12 to 14 ounces cooked, smoked or cured Mexican-style chorizo links, sliced into 1 ½-inch chunks

  • 1 yellow or red onion, finely chopped

  • 5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 2 cups chicken broth or stock 

  • 1 cup canned tomato purée

  • ¼ to ⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste 

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon paprika 

  • Kosher salt and black pepper 

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 2 limes) 

  • ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

  • Vinegary hot sauce, for serving 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

52 grams carbs; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 432 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 10 grams fiber; 540 milligrams sodium; 21 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the soaked beans, chorizo, onion, garlic, chicken broth, tomato purée, sugar, butter, tomato paste, onion and garlic powders, red-pepper flakes, cumin and paprika. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons salt (or 2 ½ teaspoons if using unsalted stock) and a generous amount of black pepper. Using a spatula, stir well to combine, then smooth the top of the mixture to submerge as many beans as possible. (It’s OK if some poke out of the liquid.) Cover and cook on high until the beans are very tender, about 6 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste, and add more salt or pepper if desired. Serve with hot sauce.

Tips

  • Dried, soaked beans work best here, but if you’d prefer to use canned or precooked beans, you will need about 6 to 6½ cups of drained beans. That’s about 4 (15.5-ounce) cans worth, after draining. Reduce the salt to ¾ teaspoon, and reduce the cook time by an hour or so.

  • The beans should reach a simmer and cook until tender to be safe to eat. If your slow cooker does not reach a simmer on the low setting, increase the heat level to high, and ensure the beans cook at a simmer for at least 15 minutes at some point in the cooking process.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
210 user ratings
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Comments

Joe

what about raw chorizo? Should I cook it first?

Katy

I used an Instant Pot. I used the sauté setting for the sausage (I used Beyond Sausage and omitted the butter to make it vegan) and then tried to use the slow cooker function on high. At the 5hr mark, the beans were not cooked (I soaked them for 24hrs) so I pressure cooked on the bean setting and then turned it back onto slow cook until I was ready to serve. Came out DELICIOUS. In future, I would pressure cook first, then slow cook as long as time permits for beans to absorb the flavor.

Kathy

I've made this multiple times, always according to the recipe, and adjusting the sugar to taste (you can always add more toward the end). "Creamy" beans is not something I understand to be the object here, but 6 hours on high with dried pinto beans that I have soaked overnight in advance results in a tender bean with a flavorful bite that has friends asking for the recipe. I use uncooked choriza (pork or beef) available at my grocery store next to the bacon and sausage, and I lightly brown it.

Kimmie

I make this again and again. I prefer molasses to brown sugar, and I use vegetarian chorizo. I also like sauerkraut at the end and make butter and flour/cornmeal biscuits to serve. I also add peppers, like jalapeno or sweet peppers, for color, flavor and some extra volume that isn't meat. It's a regular hit on rotation here.

Dexter

Made this as written except for eyeballing the spices instead of measuring them, and it turned out great. Closer to 6 servings than 8, I would say. A good side dish for barbecue season.

Kirstin

I made this with dried cranberry beans from Rancho Gordo. I soaked them overnight. I only used 1/4 c. of brown sugar and the juice from one small lime. I also only used 1/4 tsp. of the crushed red peppers. I cooked them on low for 6-7 hours. I used ground chorizo sausage from my local market. I brought the beans to a neighborhood potluck. I received many compliments. I definitely would make again. Easy and delicious.

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