Pressure Cooker Pinto Bean and Ground Beef Stew with Cumin and Cilantro

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried pinto beans, unsoaked
• About 2 T olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. low-fat ground beef
• 1 tsp. Spike seasoning
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T dried cilantro
• 3 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 cup liquid from pressure cooking beans
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or more
• 2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

Directions

1. Add 1 cup dried pinto beans to the pressure cooker with 2 tsp. olive oil, then pour in enough water to bring the cooker to the halfway mark. Seal the lid and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes, starting the timer once high pressure is reached.
2. Turn off the heat and let the pressure come down on its own, which should take about 15 minutes. Once the pressure is fully released, pour the beans into a colander, keeping 1 cup bean cooking liquid. If you’re using 2 cans pinto beans instead, rinse them well in a colander in the sink and let them drain.
3. While the beans are going, warm 2 tsp. olive oil in a large heavy frying pan. Add the ground beef, sprinkle it with Spike seasoning, and cook until the beef is nicely browned, using the back of the turner to break it up as it cooks. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl.
4. Pour 2 tsp. more olive oil into the frying pan, add the onion, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is just beginning to brown.
5. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the Mexican oregano, cumin, and dried cilantro, and keep cooking for about 2 minutes more.
6. After the beans are cooked and drained, put the cooked ground beef into the pressure cooker. Add the onion, garlic, and herb mixture right after it.
7. Pour the homemade chicken stock into the frying pan and let it simmer for a minute, scraping up all those browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add that liquid to the pressure cooker, along with 1 cup reserved bean cooking liquid, or 1 cup water if you’re using canned beans.
8. Add the beans, tomato paste, and can of tomatoes to the pressure cooker.
9. Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 2 minutes, beginning the timing once high pressure is reached. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally, about 15 minutes.
10. When the pressure has dropped, stir in the sliced green onion, chopped fresh cilantro, and lime juice. Turn the heat back on and cook with the lid off for about 5 minutes. Serve hot, with additional chopped cilantro to add at the table if desired.
11. If you’re making this in a regular soup pot on the stove and using canned beans, rinse and drain them as described above.
12. For dried beans on the stove, soak the beans overnight, drain them, add fresh water to cover by a few inches, and simmer until the beans are soft, about 45 minutes.
13. Brown the meat, cook the onions with the garlic and herbs, and deglaze the frying pan with chicken stock following the same method above.
14. In a heavy soup pot, combine the browned meat, onion mixture, chicken stock, water, cooked beans, tomato paste, and canned tomatoes, adding 1 cup more chicken stock for cooking in the open pan.
15. Let the stew simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, adding a bit more water if needed.
16. When the stew seems done, stir in the green onion, chopped cilantro, and lime juice as above, and cook for a few more minutes.