Remember my Cauliflower Taco 'Meat'? Well once again, by changing the spices you can make something totally different, like Vegan CHORIZO! Which goes perfectly with my Instant Pot Charro Beans. Talk about a match made in heaven!
I made this an Instant Pot Recipe - because while the dried Pintos are doing their thing in the pressure cooker - I had plenty of time to make a batch of Vegan Chorizo!
And oh - my - goodness...... this homemade Vegan Chorizo is GOOD!
Chorizo - for those of you not 'in-the-know' of Mexican ingredients, is a spicy Mexican Pork Sausage. They use it for Tacos, Burritos, and all manner of tasty Mexican dishes.
But we're going to make it from my Cauliflower/Mushroom 'hamburger' that's become so popular thanks to my Amazing Cauliflower Tacos recipe.
We're just going to replace the Soy Sauce with Apple Cider Vinegar, and change up the spices a little.
In fact, now that I have this homemade Vegan Chorizo down........ I may have to look for a few more Mexican Recipes I can use it in.
Oh my - I see (and smell) a whole new world of Vegan Mexican Food coming!
So in this recipe, I added it to a pot of Pinto Beans to make what is known as Charro Beans (aka Coyboy Beans). I think traditionally bacon is used in making Charro Beans, but I wanted to try out this Chorizo instead.
And I am SO glad I did!
These beans are honestly amazing, and if I do say so myself - some of the BEST beans I've ever had !!!
Please leave those comments and let me know what you think of them (or the Chorizo).
I honestly read every single comment....and actually get a lot of ideas from all of YOU! So keep them coming, please!
Ok - jabbering finished - let's go make our kitchen smell AMAZING!
Instant Pot Charro Beans with Vegan Chorizo
To make the best use of our time - we'll get the beans started first. That way we can make our Chorizo while they are cooking.
So rinse and clean 2 cups of dried Pinto Beans and add them to your Instant Pot. We're also going to toss in 2 small onions that have been diced, a diced Green Bell Pepper, three cloves of minced Garlic, and a minced Jalapeno.
For the liquid - add 2 ½ cups of Low Sodium Vegetable Broth, a 12oz Dark Beer, and stir.
(Note: Now I know people are going to ask - what can I sub for the beer? My answer would be water - but the beer really adds another depth of flavor to the beans. As for variety - any Stout or Porter would work.)
Finally, pour a 15oz can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes right into the center of the beans. And do NOT stir anymore. (Tomatoes can scorch easily if they are touching the sides or bottom of the Instant Pot)
Now, attach the Instant Pot lid making sure it's set to SEALING and we're going to pressure cook the beans on High Pressure (HP) for 45 minutes.
When they're done - allow them to vent naturally for at least 10 minutes.
The Chorizo
The Chorizo also takes about 45 minutes to make, so ideally the beans and the Chorizo should be done at the same time - and then we just mix.
(Note: Although I've never tried it - I don't cook the Chorizo "meat" in the IP along with the beans because I'm afraid the high-pressure cooking would turn the cauliflower or mushrooms into mush - totally ruining the texture).
Add about 2 cups of finely chopped cauliflower to a large bowl. (Note: Riced Cauliflower is great for this). Next, add about 1½ cups of finely diced mushrooms, and then ¼ cup of finely chopped walnuts.
Give the 'meat' a good stir and then mix in ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar. Stir well to coat.
In a separate bowl - whisk all the spices together until they are mixed thoroughly and then stir them into the cauliflower mixture. Stir very well to make sure everything is coated evenly.
Finally - turn this out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in a 350° F oven. After 30 minutes, stir the mixture up a little and then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Charro Beans
By now the beans should be finished, so carefully release any pressure that may be left, and then remove the lid. Give the beans a good stir and then add in the Chorizo we just made.
Stir well and taste for seasoning. I added a few grinds of Black Pepper and a generous pinch of salt. I also squeezed a fresh lime into the beans as well.
Serve with your choice of garnish. I like fresh Cilantro, additional Lime, Jalapenos (of course), and maybe a dab of my Green Chile Sour Cream.
Perfect.
Be sure and let me know how you like them, especially if you have a different recipe you've made from my Cauliflower Crumbles.
Mmm......good beans.
See you next week!
Charro Beans with Vegan Chorizo
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: Beans and Legumes, Instant Pot
- Cuisine: McDougall, Mexican, Oil-Free, Vegan
Description
I changed the spices in my Cauliflower Tacos and made Vegan CHORIZO! Which happens to go perfectly with my Instant Pot Charro Beans. Talk about a match made in heaven!
Ingredients
Beans
- 2 cups Pinto Beans ((dried))
- 2 ½ cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 1 ½ cups Dark Beer ((12 oz Porter, Stout, etc))
- 2 small Onions ((diced))
- 1 Green Bell Pepper ((diced))
- 1 Jalapeno ((minced))
- 3-4 cloves Garlic ((minced))
- 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes ((15 oz))
- ½ bunch Cilantro
Chorizo
- 2 cups Cauliflower ((riced or diced small))
- 1 ½ cups Portobello Mushrooms ((diced small))
- ¼ cup Walnuts ((chopped small))
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tbs Chili Powder
- 1 Tbs Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Coriander
- ½ tsp Mexican Oregano
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- ⅛ tsp Ground Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Ground Cloves
Instructions
Beans
- Rinse and pick over beans and add them to your Instant Pot. Add chopped onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno.
- Add broth and beer and stir to combine.
- Add tomatoes to center (DO NOT STIR) and attach lid. Set to SEALING.
- Pressure cook on HP for 45 minutes. Allow to vent naturally when finished.
Chorizo
- Add riced cauliflower, diced mushrooms, and chopped walnuts to a bowl.
- Add vinegar and mix well.
- In s small bowl - whisk the spices together until mixed, then stir into cauliflower. Stir to make sure everything is evenly coated.
- Place 'chorizo' onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Stir when finished and then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- When beans have finished and lid is removed, carefully stir Chorizo into the beans and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Garnish with chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime, additional jalapenos, or vegan sour cream.
Brenda V9X1J7
I can't wait to try this; I just froze 12 2 cup bags of chopped cauliflower. I will have . to go to a liquor store and see if they will sell me one beer. LOL (I'm in Canada, it's not in our grocery stores). If you're looking for anouther flavour to develop, how about pepperoni? It would be great to sprinkle on "pizza", but so would this!
Sally Crouse
I am scouring this recipe bur I don't see the oven temp for baking the chorizo. I found it on the taco meat recipe you based this off of, but you might want to add it to your instructions. No need to post this comment. Thanks again for the recipe.
Sally
So I really want to try this recipe but know nothing about beer. Hoping I could just buy one bottle I went the the refrigerator case and asked another shopper for help finding a porter or a stout. She pointed out a dark beer she said was a porter so I grabbed it. Sigh! I spent five dollars on a bottle of beer flavored like German Chocolate cake! Could you please help me figure out what to buy exactly?
Chuck Underwood
Sounds like you found te right one. Porters and stouts are very dark, chocolatey beers. And yes, a 22oz single will cost you about $5. Actually, I've seen some that cost twice that.
Dee
What can I use in place of walnuts?
Chuck Underwood
leave them out
Scott
How many does this serve? I have to feed a family of 3 and assume at least two of us will want a small bowl of seconds.
Chuck Underwood
This will easily provide your 5 servings. Probably a bit more
Pam
I came across your cauliflower tacos recipe earlier today, and wanted to try it, but didn't have cauliflower handy. Ever-resourceful, I substituted two kinds of squash - one a summer squash (shaped like flying saucers -- I don't know what it's called!) and the other more like a butternut squash. I figured it would come out approximately as moist as the cauliflower. I used the mushrooms and walnuts -- pretty much everything else was the same. (Okay, no chili powder in the house either, but plenty of chipotle powder, so that went in, along with some fresh oregano from the garden.) Big success. Next I'll try the chorizo - thanks for your recipes! .
Anne
This recipe for "hamburger" is a game changer. I make it super-quickly by grinding it in the food processor (aka cuisinart) with just a couple of quick pulses for each ingredient, then I mix them together. We use it in everything.
Mary
We don't drink alcohol. Is it possible to buy single cans of beer anywhere?
Chuck Underwood
Yes.....there are 22oz bottles in just about every grocery store.
Lynn Carangelo
This looks wonderful and I'm going to try it. Just wanted to share a tip. One thing I discovered while making vegan chorizo is that the key to the authentic flavor is in the chilis used. I combine 3 different kinds of chili powders and that has made all the difference for me. Ground Guajillo Chili Molido (ordered on Amazon); Ancho chile powder and De Arbol Chile Powder. I also add a bit of cinnamon and some garlic.
Keep on doing what your doing Chuck, I love your recipes.
Bonnie
what could I use in this recipe in place of the beer? Thanks
Chuck Underwood
You can always add more broth or water - but it won't have that same flavor.
susan
Finally made this today - fabulous. I used my pre-cooked pinto beans and reduced the liquid a bit (not the beer:-), and it was a touch soupy so i added one more package of beans (kidney instead of pinto). Perfection. 6 minutes in the instant pot, since the beans were already cooked. I made the green chili sour cream as well - awesome! Yet another winner, thank you!
★★★★★
Randi Robertson
I just made this recipe and it was FANTASTIC! ❤️❤️❤️ I also love your chili recipe and I make your taco meat all the time. Thank you for your great recipes.
★★★★★
Susan Larsson
i just made a load of pinto beans in the instant pot a few days ago and have them packaged in the freezer. i'm thinking that if i cut down on the liquid, but still used the beer and broth and tomatoes, and the veg and seasonings, that i could put it in the instant pot with the chorizo for a short time - maybe 3 to 5 minutes. not sure about the mounts of the liquid, though... this does sound delicious!!
Judy Loukras
I find the beer to be a little scary with the carbonation in the instant pot, I’ve been wanting to try it but this is the first recipe I’ve seen it in. I guess it’s no problem? Do you let the beer go flat first?
Looks like a yummy recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Chuck Underwood
I did not have a problem.... and no, I poured the beer in right from the six-pack!
Julie
First off, I just have to say thank you for your amazing recipes! So far, I've made your Hot & Sour Soup and your Orange "Chicken"...and OMG...they are awesome! So I'd like to try these beans, but do not have an Instant Pot. Could I just make them on the stove in a regular pot? Would I need to change anything with the recipe if I do it this way? I know they will take much longer to cook, but that's ok with me 🙂
Chuck Underwood
I would make the 2 recipes separate - like in my instructions. Make the beans first, probably soak them overnight or do the quick soak method, and then let them cook with the onion, garlic, and peppers. I'd leave out the beer and use more water, adding more as needed to keep them covered until they are done. Then add the beer along with the Chorizo at the end and let it simmer together for 20-30 minutes before serving
Julie
Awesome, I'll try that! Thanks again!!