Recipe: Forest Beans (Pintos with Mushrooms and Spring Onions)
Earthy meets fresh in this recipe. Mushrooms bring out the rich umami taste of the pinto beans while the spring onions add liveliness, color, and a little crunch. This healthy, quick recipe makes a good change from tomato-based bean dishes.
Active time: 10 minutes, starting with cooked beans. Total time: 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked pinto beans (see Basic Bean recipe)
8 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 pound spring onions, cut into rounds
salt to taste
Method
- If beans aren't already hot, heat them in the microwave or on the stove.
- Peel and mince garlic. Rinse mushrooms, cut a thin slice off the stem end and discard, and slice the rest. In a medium skillet or pan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and stir once. Add mushrooms and cook until soft and juicy, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse spring onions, cut off root end and discard. Slice spring onions into rounds about a 1/4-inch wide. When mushrooms are cooked, add onions and cook until they start to wilt, about two minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- To serve, stir mushroom liquid into beans. Serve beans on top of rice, corn bread, or just on their own, topped with the mushroom mixture. Refrigerate any extra.
Tips and notes
- For extra flavor, cook pinto beans with an onion and two cloves of garlic per pound of dried beans.
- Spring onions are sometimes called green onions. Use the white and the green parts.
- While the beans can be cooked ahead, the mushroom topping is best prepared just before serving.
