The Spicy Protein That Turns Canned Beans Into A Worthy Meal

We can think of numerous ways to use canned beans, some as simple as stirring in sauce and seasonings for a delicious side dish. However, you can transform a can of beans into a hearty and flavorful one-pot meal with the addition of spicy, savory chorizo. Chorizo will not only bring a burst of flavor and a delightfully chewy, meaty textural contrast to soft, tender beans, but it'll also provide the protein and fat to complement beans' carbohydrate content for a nutritious one-pot meal.

Chorizo fries up quickly, imparting a flavorful oil to coat cans of drained and rinsed beans. As a ground meat often sold in casing, chorizo and beans are two prepared products that you simply have to open and add to a frying pan or casserole dish. You don't have to worry about dirtying a bunch of dishes. Plus, there are various ways to incorporate chorizo and beans into one cohesive and tasty dish. You can make a soupy chorizo and bean dish with the help of stock or water, a more solid blend of whole beans sauteed with crumbly chorizo, or a casserole that bakes chorizo with beans, liquids, and seasonings into a thicker stew-like consistency. Whichever method you choose, start by sauteing chorizo to break it up into an even layer of ground meat so it'll release its flavorful fats for a well-distributed foundation for a can of beans.

Both beans and chorizo encompass many different products, opening up many avenues for tasty combinations. Chorizo originated in Spain and Portugal, so you could slice a log of smoky, spicy cured Spanish chorizo into discs to fry up with a can or two of white beans like gigantes, garbanzos, butter beans, or large lima beans. Stir in tomato paste and a splash of water or chicken broth and garnish with parsley and halved castelvetrano olives. You could serve these beans with thick slices of grilled crusty bread.

Just as bacon is a popular umami-rich protein added to homemade baked beans, chorizo will bring both savory and spicy complementary flavors to a can or two of baked beans. You can use a Dutch oven to fry and break up spicy pork chorizo before adding the baked beans. You can doctor the mixture with ketchup, mustard, and butter before baking it. Top it with crispy onions and serve with corn on the cob. 

Of course, chorizo and beans are a classic combination in Mexican cuisine. You could simply saute chorizo and a few cans of pinto beans together for an easy taco filler top with diced onions and cilantro. You could also pour a can of black refried beans into a sizzling pan of beef chorizo to top with Oaxaca cheese and spread over tostadas or bolillos and garnished with sliced avocado and pickled red onions.