Green Chili Bean Bake @lucyburdette

LUCY BURDETTE: The original recipe for these beans came from the New York Times cooking. I’ve learned from many of my bean loving pals on the Rancho Gordo Facebook group that you can make beans with many diversions from a recipe. John and I both thought this version was delicious!

Ingredients

1/2  pound Rancho Gordo pinto beans (could use other beans or in a pinch, canned beans and drained)

16 ounces green tomatillo salsa or another of your choosing (I used half a jar of green tomatillo and half a jar of black bean corn salsa that was in the refrigerator. The combination was delicious.)

One onion

Two large green peppers, or one plus 8 Shishito peppers

One cup shredded Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese

A good handful fresh cilantro

Prepare the beans by soaking overnight and then simmering in water for about one hour, or until soft. Meanwhile, chop the peppers and onions. (Or request your minions to do so.)

Once the onions and peppers are soft, add the beans with half of their cooking liquid to an oven proof frying pan. Add the salsa and simmer until warm. Distribute the cheese over the top of the bean mixture and bake until golden. 

(I was making a new version of cornbread at the same time, so my oven was set to 450 rather than 400.) You can also broil it until the cheese is brown, or simmer it on the stove, covered, until the cheese is melted. Serve with cornbread!

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. 

Book 15 in the Key West series, THE MANGO MURDERS, will be in bookstores on August 12!

And the new trade paperback edition of A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS is out now!