Chalupas

Chalupa Beans (Crockpot Pinto Beans)

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans – cook in crockpot all day
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pour dried beans out of package and into a colander/strainer. Filter through the dried beans with your fingers, looking for bits of mud or rock. Discard this kind of trash if you find it. Rinse the beans under running tap water. Pour wet beans into 3 quart pot and cover with water until water is about 2 inches above the top of the beans.

HINT: 1 inch = 1 finger joint (tip of finger to first joint) so 2 inches is tip of finger to second joint)

Soak beans overnight. They will absorb most of the water. Pour off the water the next morning and re-rinse beans. Pour wet beans into crockpot and cover with water, plus 1-2 inches above the top of the beans. Add salt and pepper, cover and cook in crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

In a rush to get out the door this morning? You can skip the soaking stage, just make sure you use 6-8 cups of water so that the beans won’t dry out while cooking. You can’t speed up dried bean cooking. Cooking them on high and trying to reduce the cooking time to 3-4 hours just doesn’t get them soft in the middle.

Fixing Chalupas

  • 12 crispy flat corn tortillas (already baked or fried)
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 bag shredded lettuce

Additional toppings:

  • guacamole
  • sour cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • salsa

Cook the beans ahead of time by following the instructions above.  Then, 15 minutes before the meal…

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Chop the tomatoes, put them in a bowl and place with lettuce shreds and other condiments on the table.
  • Save back 1/2 cup of the bean water and drain the rest of the water off by dumping cooked beans and water into a colander (large bowl with holes).
  • Place the cooked beans and the 1/2 cup of bean water back into the crockpot and mash up with a mix-master, whisk, or by stirring a lot with a big mixing spoon or spatula.
  • To warm up the prepared chalupa shells, place them directly on the wire racks in your preheated oven.  Warm for 2-3 minutes max.  Remove from oven with tongs.
To make a chalupa (chaw-LOOO-pah), take a crisp round corn tortilla and spread with mashed pinto beans.  Sprinkle lettuce over the beans and add tomatoes on top of the lettuce.  Top with shredded cheese.  Add salsa or sour cream if you like.  To eat a chalupa, try to raise the entire thing off your plate and bite into all the layers at once. A lot of the toppings might fall back onto your plate.  Finish your chalupa and eat the parts that fell back on your plate with additional chips or with a fork.