Friends, today I’m sharing with you a Mexican-inspired twist on baked beans: chorizo baked beans. These baked beans are sweet and creamy enough to feel familiar but have a bit of spice and backbone thanks to a few “secret” but easy-to-find ingredients that bring so much additional flavor to the party.
I’ll show you how to make them and also give you some ingredient substitutions if you don’t have everything the recipe calls for.
For more meaty bean goodness, you may also enjoy my cowboy beans recipe which is made with pinto beans. For ease of browsing, find all my side dish recipes in one place. Thanks for being here. Let’s get to it.
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You’ll Like These Mexican Baked Beans If
To be fair, these are Mexican-inspired baked beans, but still. They’re very good!
Not all recipes are for everyone, though, so here’s what to expect from this recipe so you can decide whether it’s for you or not.
You’ll like this recipe if you:
- Like creamy beans that hold their shape
- Are not a fan of super-soupy beans. You want yours to stay put when you put them on your plate
- Enjoy a bit of spice
- Also enjoy the sweetness of American-style baked beans
- Don’t really like ketchup in baked bean recipes
- Love meaty baked beans
Tasting Notes
- Creamy Great Northern beans
- Sweet-spicy sauce
- Meaty-smoky chorizo
- Earthy cumin
- Little bites of sharp pickled jalapeno
- Sweet tomato and brown sugar tempered with spicy chipotle peppers in adobo
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How to Make This Recipe
If you are an old hand and making baked beans and don’t need step-by-step directions or any tips, you can jump straight to the recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these spicy baked beans. I’ll provide some substitutions where possible.
- Vegetable oil: Neutral oil like canola. Or use bacon fat. You can omit if your chorizo is particularly fatty
- Mexican chorizo: You’ll need about 1/2 pound. For me, this was 2 links from the grocery store. You want Mexican which is uncooked rather than the Spanish kind which is cured and ready to eat.
- Sweet onion: You can also use a white onion if you prefer
- Red bell pepper: Any sweeter bell pepper–the color really doesn’t matter, so if you have a yellow or orange one, go with that. And if you like green bell pepper use that. For a slightly spicier option, try a poblano
- Salt: You’ll need a fair amount to season 2 pounds of beans. I use Morton’s kosher salt
- Cumin: I love the earthiness of cumin. Use more or less than called for, to taste. Substitute chili powder if you prefer.
- Mexican oregano: Adds a nice herbal note to the beans. If all you have is Italian oregano, that will work too
- Pepper: Several grindings, to taste
- RoTel: If you can get RoTel where you live, by all means, pick some up. If you can’t, use diced tomatoes and diced green chiles. Both come canned. I can usually find diced green chiles in the Mexican section of the grocery store
- Chipotles in adobo: Also found in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store, or purchase at your favorite Mexican grocer. These are smoked jalapenos in a spicy sauce that you can purchase whole or diced. Either will work here, but diced you can use as-is without further chopping
- Dark brown sugar: Adds a bit of molasses-y sweetness. You can also use piloncillo or jaggery
- Great Northern beans: The main ingredient: 2 pounds of beans. Always make sure to pick over the beans pretty carefully to make sure you get out any errant rocks or shriveled, sad beans. Good substitutes are navy beans, which are a bit larger than Great Northerns or cannellini beans, which are a bit larger. All will yield rich, creamy results
- Red wine vinegar: Balances the sweetness and brightens up the dish
- Pickled jalapenos: Adds a bit more acidity and brightness along with a bit more heat. Use more or less to taste
- Water: As needed both to cook the beans initially and then to cook them down. I think I used a total of about 4-5 cups of water for cooking plus more for soaking the beans overnight
Jenni Says: Use more or less of any of the spicy ingredients to make baked beans with the level of spice you prefer.
Procedure
As far as I’m concerned, whenever you start cooking beans from dry, the procedure is pretty much the same:
- Pick over and rinse beans. Discard discolored or wrinkled beans as well as any random little rocks.
- Cook all your flavorful ingredients together.
- Add the beans and water and simmer until tender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
The actual baking part is kind of optional, but baking your beans, after simmering them on the stove, can further reduce and intensify the flavors.
In the collage below, you can see all the beans that didn’t make my cut. In the second photo, you can see me rinsing the beans in a large over-the-sink strainer. You’ll notice there’s an errant pinto bean in there, but I told him he could stay.
I put the picked over and rinsed beans in my largest glass bowl, which really wasn’t as large as it should have been.
You want to cover the beans by a good 2″ of water and then let them soak in the fridge overnight.
You can see how much liquid the beans absorbed overnight.
Soaking just gives the beans a head start. It is not strictly necessary to soak the beans, although if you don’t, cook time will be much longer and you’ll need to use a lot more water.
Again, I have to give high praise to my meat chopper–that thing works so well for breaking up sticky sausage.
Once the meat is broken up and is cooking (with or without oil), add the aromatics and spices and let cook until the vegetables are soft and starting to take on a bit of color.
Once all the fresh aromatics are in, it’s time to add the canned: RoTel and chipotles in adobo. Don’t forget the sugar!
Stir in the soaked beans and add water to cover.
Simmer the beans, covered, for a good 2-3 hours before removing the lid and continuing to simmer and reduce, adding water as necessary.
I always wait until this step to add the vinegar so it stays nice and bright. You can also add a splash or two more once cooking is done just to brighten everything up a bit.
Tip: Once the beans soften, thicken up the juices by smashing some of the beans against the sides of the pan. The starches will help to thicken up your spicy beany sauce.
Jenni Says: Stir the beans every 20 minutes or so to make sure they cook evenly.
Equipment You May Need
I used my braiser, and it wasn’t quite big enough, so I recommend you use a 5-quart Dutch oven for 2 pounds of beans.
A bit narrower and deeper than some other Dutch ovens of the same capacity, this Crock Pot one allows for slower reduction, especially nice when making long-cooking recipes like beans.
With 4.7/5 stars and many colors to choose from, this Dutch oven should last you pretty much forever.
And if you don’t have one of these fancy meat choppers, do consider picking one up. I love to use it for chopping up any ground meat or for breaking up whole tomatoes into smaller pieces right in the pot.
Useful not only for breaking up sausage and other ground meats while cooking, I also use this to roughly chop any soft foods right in the pan. It works great on whole canned tomatoes and also is really useful for cooking up any hash on the stove.
Questions You May Have
As written, this recipe is gluten-free. Check all your canned ingredients to make sure they’re not processed on shared equipment.
Substitute soy chorizo for the chorizo, or add a tablespoon of hot smoked paprika and a teaspoon of liquid smoke when you add the onions and bell pepper.
Feel free to substitute molasses for the brown sugar, knowing molasses is more deeply flavored and less sweet than brown sugar. You can also use maple syrup or honey if you prefer. You can also use coconut sugar. And for a sugar-free option, try a brown sugar allulose alternative like
Wholesome Yum’s Besti Brown Sugar Alternative.
Serving Suggestions
I know you just came here for a baked bean recipe, but here are some dishes that will go really well with your beans.
My BBQ bacon smashed burger has some smoky/spicy lacquered bacon, and those flavors will go beautifully with the chipotle in the beans.
If you need another side dish for a party, I think you should strongly consider my mom’s macaroni salad. It’s seriously the best. I’d leave out the tuna if serving it with meat, and it’s excellent either way.
And beans and pork go so well together, think about serving chipotle baked beans alongside some delicious crispy pulled pork.
Oh, and don’t forget the cornbread. My jalapeno cheddar cornbread is an excellent complement to these beans.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Chorizo Baked Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Great Northern Beans
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 large links or 8 oz Mexican chorizo casings removed
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1/4-1/2 cup diced pickled jalapenos to taste
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt I use Morton’s
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano preferably Mexican oregano
- several grindings of black pepper to taste
- 2 cans RoTel or other tomato/green chile mix your preferred style. I used fire roasted
- 2 Tablespoons diced chipotle in adobo
- 4 oz 1/2 cup, tighly packed dark brown sugar
- 6 Tablespoons red wine vinegar divided use
- 4 cups water or as needed
Instructions
- Pick over your beans and discard any discolored or shriveled beans. Also get rid of any tiny errant pebbles that often make it past the sorting machine. Rinse the beans and soak them overnight in the fridge, covered by at least 2 inches of water.
- The next day, drain the beans and set aside.
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the chorizo, breaking it up as it cooks.
- After about 5 minutes, add the onion, red bell pepper, pickled jalapenos, salt, cumin, Mexican oregano, and black pepper.
- Turn the heat down to medium, and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the RoTel, chipotles in adobo, brown sugar, and 4 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar.
- Add the drained beans and enough water to barely cover them. Stir well.
- Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil.
- Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring the beans occasionally to make sure they're cooking evenly.
- Remove the lid, add a bit more water, and continue simmering, until the beans are nice and tender. Add water as needed so the beans are always barely covered.
- Smash some of the beans against the side of the pan to help thicken the sauce.
- Stir in the last 2 Tablespoons of vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Alternatively, after step 9, stir in a bit more water, and place the Dutch oven, uncovered, into the oven at 350F until the beans are tender and the juices are concentrated, about an hour, opening the oven and stirring a couple of times.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
To Make Vegetarian
Substitute soy chorizo or leave it out entirely and add 1 tablespoon hot smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke.Storage
Store the cooled beans, well-covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat to serve, making sure the temperature reaches 165F.Smaller-Batch Recipe
- 1 pound dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and picked over
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 oz Mexican chorizo
- 1/2 large onion
- 1/2 sweet red bell pepper
- 2 Tablespoons-1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 can Ro-Tel
- 1 Tablespoon minced chipotle in adobo
- 2 oz (1/4 cup, packed) brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided use
- 2 cups water, or as needed
Nutrition
I really hope you enjoy these Mexican baked beans. I love chorizo and chipotle and try and use those ingredients wherever I can. I think the beans really benefit from that bit of spicy and smokiness.
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