Thrifty Thursday: Clean Eating's Slow-Cooker Pork'n Beans!

It's cold out. Why not make some pork and beans?!  And while you're at it, relish the fact that you are making a lot of very tasty and quite healthy food, for very cheap.  This amazing recipe (meal!) cost ~$17 total, and lasted Nick and I about 4 days (and that was with organic canned goods and pork!).  Seventeen dollars for four dinners for two? Not too shabby!

Slow-Cooker Pork'n' Beans

Slightly modified from a Clean Eating Magazine recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 lb. dry pinto beans

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 tsp. sea salt, divided

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped

1 tbsp.  tomato paste

2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)

1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2-3 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1.  Place beans in a large bowl and cover with tap water by about 3 inches.  Cover and soak overnight.  Drain and rinse soaked beans and transfer to a 5 to 6-qt. slow cooker.  Add enough hot water to cover by 1-inch.  Cook for 2 hours on high.

2.  Add pork and cook for 3 hours on high, checking once or twice to ensure pork-bean mixture is just submerged in liquid; add more water as needed so beans remain submerged.  Stir in 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper and cook until beans are tender, about 1-hour on high.

3.  About 30 minutes before beans are done, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapenos and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by about three-quarters, 4-5 minutes.  Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt.

4.  With a large ladle, scoop and discard most of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, so beans are moist but not soupy.  Add tomato mixture to bean mixture and stir to combine.  Turn off slow cooker (or keep on warm setting for up to 2 hours).  Ladle beans into serving bowls and top with cheese and cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges.

Note: If you are following a Low FODMAPs diet, this recipe may not be for you.  Granted, I did eat it and enjoy it, but I downed several Beano.  You could try omitting the onion and garlic, but the taste will be significantly different.  I did use less onion and garlic than the original recipe, and used garlic-infused olive oil.

Estimated Nutrition facts for 1/8th of the recipe

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd