Crockpot Dried Beans
Dried beans are healthy, inexpensive and easy to use in your favorite recipes-- especially when cooked in the crockpot!
Yield: 7 cups cooked beans
Materials
- 1 lb dried beans
- 6-8 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the beans under cool, running water; removing any shriveled beans.
- Place beans in crock pot and cover with 7-8 cups of fresh cold water. Cover and soak for 6-8 hours ( while at work during the day or overnight)-- DO NOT turn crock pot on.
- Drain and rinse beans. Return to crock pot and cover with 7-8 cups of fresh water. Cook on low for 8 hours (while at work during the day or overnight). When tender use in your favorite recipe that requires beans.
- If you will not be using the entire pound of beans at once you can portion and freeze them in Ziploc** bags for future use.
- For planning: 1lb of dried beans yields about 7 cups of cooked beans. A 15 oz can holds a bit less than two cups. (or equivalent to 3 - 4 cans from 1 lb of dried beans)
Notes
**Make sure that beans are cooled to refrigerator temperature before bagging and freezing.
Make sure You are using freezer bags and not regular storage bags as the freezer bags are thicker and will keep beans fresh longer.
Make sure to label and date the beans.
Frozen beans should maintain a good quality for at least three months when stored at 0 degrees F. They will continue to be safe indefinitely at this temperature but over time changes in taste and quality may occur.
To Thaw Frozen Beans:
The easiest way is to thaw overnight on a platter in the refrigerator to catch any possible leaks.