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    Home » Recipes » Beans

    Frijoles de Olla {Mexican Beans}

    Published: Nov 23, 2014 · Modified: Feb 2, 2016 by Jeni · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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    frijoles de olla

    Beans are an important part of any healthy diet because they are rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals. Beans are so a great protein source for a Vegan diet. Over the years, I have been incorporating more beans dishes into my weekly meals. When I started cooking more Mexican inspired bean dishes, I learned about Frijoles de Olla which translates to Mexican Beans from a pot.  Frijoles de Olla are traditionally cooked in a clay pot that is glazed on the outside. Using a traditional clay bean pot adds an earthy flavor to the beans that you can't get from using any other type of pot.

    I haven been wanting to get a clay pot for beans for a few years now. I tried to bring one back to Michigan from our February trip to Mexico; unfortunately it broke in my suitcase. Naturally one of the first things that I wanted to buy for my kitchen here in Mexico City was a clay pot to cook beans. We went to the market and picked out a beautiful clay pot.

    A traditional Mexican cooking clay pot used for making frijoles de olla. The clay pot adds an earthy flavor to the beans.

    The vender explained to us how to cure the pot. He said to add water, just enough to fill the bottom portion. Boil the water until it evaporates. Repeat the process another two times.  We also asked Hector's Aunt how to cure it and she said to rub garlic all over it. The vender told us we didn't need to do that because it is just glazed on the outside. Any other type of clay olla or cooking vessel with a glazed interior needs to be cured using garlic. He also told us that we should have one dedicated pot for beans and use another one for drinks. If you don't have a traditional clay pot, do not worry. Any large pot should get the job done.

    Sometimes I soak my beans and sometimes I don't. If you don't soak your beans, they will just take longer to cook. To cut down on cooking time, I recommend soaking the beans 4-6 hours. It also depends on the age of the beans. Older beans will take longer to cook.

    Frijoles de olla: Mexican Pot of Bean

    frijoles de olla: a traditional Mexican bean recipe that uses a clay pot to cook the beans, which adds such a great earthy flavor to the beans.

    Frijoles de Olla have become a staple in our household. It's such a simple recipe that is a nutritious option for your family. Make a batch on the weekends to enjoy throughout the week.

    frijoles de olla

    frijoles de olla: a simple and delicious pot of Mexican beans.

    Frijoles de Olla {Mexican Beans}
    Recipe Type: Beans, Side, Entree
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Author: Jeni Hernandez
    Prep time: 15 mins
    Cook time: 2 hours 30 mins
    Total time: 2 hours 45 mins
    Serves: 6-8
    Beans are simmered in a traditional Mexican Clay pot, which adds an earthy flavor. Beans are an important part of a healthy diet because they are rich in protein and iron. Make a pot of beans on the weekend to have throughout the week!
    Ingredients
    • 1 lb Pinto, Flor de Mayo, or Peruivan Beans
    • ½ Medium White Onion, cut in half
    • Filtered Water
    • Sea Salt
    Instructions
    1. Clean and sort the beans. Remove any stones or sticks. Rinse under cold water.
    2. Soak the beans 4-6 hours, or overnight
    3. Drain the beans and rinse with cold water. Add the beans to a clay bean pot or a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans with about 2 ½ -3 inches of water. Add the onion.
    4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until the beans are tender, about 1 ½-3 hours. The cooking time depends on how old the beans are. Check the beans every so often. If a lot of water has evaporated during the cooking time, add some more water to the beans.
    5. Serve right away or cool and store in the fridge.
    6. Serve with warm tortillas, freshly cut avocado, sliced onions, etc.

    frijoles de olla: a simple and nutritious meal.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Timaree

      December 04, 2014 at 6:40 am

      Are you sure the Lola is lead free? I have thrown out some Mexican pots years back due to lead in their glazes.

      Reply
      • Jeni

        December 06, 2014 at 6:26 pm

        It is definetly hard to find a lead free olla, but there are some places that do sell lead free pots. On Amazon they sell a lead free olla. Here is the link:
        http://www.amazon.com/La-Mexicana-Olla-Barro-6-Quart/dp/B004444XNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417890290&sr=8-1&keywords=mexican+olla

        And also on MexGrocer they have quite a few lead free options for clay cookware!
        http://www.mexgrocer.com/clay-cookware.html

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Mexican Bean Soup with Masa Dumplings - Thyme & Love says:
      February 7, 2015 at 2:59 pm

      […] are needed to create this warming and comforting dish. The recipe starts with making a batch of frijoles de olla. When the beans have finishing cooking, you add the masa dumplings and cook a little longer. The […]

      Reply
    2. Mexican Bean and Tomato Soup - Thyme & Love says:
      February 25, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      […] soups is a Mexican Bean and Tomato Soup. The base of this soup is made of a bean puree. I used my frijoles de olla recipe to cook the beans. I let the beans cool and then puree them with some of the cooking liquid. I […]

      Reply
    3. Slow Cooker Basic Black Beans - Thyme & Love says:
      July 30, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      […] using the traditional Mexican olla {clay pot} to cook the beans in and have shared my recipes for Frijoles de Olla and Simple Mexican Black Beans. The idea of having beans cook on the stove for a few hours just […]

      Reply
    4. Slow Cooker Mexican Pinto Beans - Thyme & Love says:
      September 24, 2017 at 6:43 pm

      […] Cooker Mexican Pinto Beans. The slow cooker is my favorite way to make dried beans. I love making frijoles de olla, traditional Mexican pinto beans, but sometimes I don’t want to watch the stove for two […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jeni—the food blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind Thyme & Love. I'm a busy mom would loves creating memories in the kitchen and traveling to new places.

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