My mother-in-law gave me an Instant Pot for Christmas a few years ago, and I’ll be honest, I had never heard of one until that trip. My sister-in-law had made a meal for the whole family with hers right before Christmas and I was intrigued by it. When I actually received one of my very own a few days later, I couldn’t wait to get started. It took some research and A LOT of trial and error, but I have grown quite fond of that appliance and I use it several times a month now.
I haven’t been willing to experiment with pressure cooker recipes until recently, just because it really does take some getting used to. I would follow the recipes I found perfectly, which is very unusual for me! Lately, I have been doing more creating with the Instant Pot, which led me to make Frito Pie with it. I posted about my basic, super quick Frito Pie recipe almost a year ago (if you haven’t seen it, please check it out here), and while this version is similar, it has a much deeper flavor.
I found myself thinking about how flavorful beans are when they have been cooking all day (made faster with the Instant Pot), and I decided I would like to try making that the base for Frito Pie. I started with dried bolita beans, which are very similar to pinto beans if you cannot find bolitas. I keep a good supply of the dried beans on hand, which I usually purchase from a farm nearby every Fall. I hardly ever remember to soak my dried beans (which you’ll find tons of information about regarding the pros and cons of online if you’re interested), but I do try to soak them for a few hours if I can. I did not for this particular recipe.
When you look over my recipe, you will notice that my cooking time seems super long compared to the various times you may have seen in other recipes for dry beans – I literally can never get my beans to cook as quickly as other recipes claim. I do not know what I am doing wrong, but the beans are never tender that fast (soaked or not), so I always end up having to start up the Instant Pot again. (If you have any ideas on why this is the case, I’d love to hear them!) Anyway, this is a good site to consult for suggested cooking times for a wide variety of dry and soaked beans if you choose to modify the recipe in any way. Just don’t forget to rinse and sort your beans!
The finished Frito Pie is so rich in flavor, and it really complements the corn chips or tortilla chips you serve it with. Add some cheese, and maybe even sour cream, shredded lettuce, and diced tomato, and you have one amazing dish for any time of the year! I hope you enjoy it!
Instant Pot Frito Pie
Equipment
- Instant Pot, or similar pressure cooker (just be sure to adapt accordingly)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ medium onion, diced
- ½ lb ground beef
- 1½ tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tsp dried minced garlic
- 2 chicken (or beef) boullion cubes
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ can diced tomatoes with chilies, such as Rotel
- 1 cup dried bolita beans, rinsed and sorted
- 3 cups water
- Fritos or tortilla chips
- Shredded cheese and any other desired toppings
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, onion, and ground beef to the Instant Pot. Push the Saute button to begin the cooking process.
- Add the taco seaoning, garlic, bouillion cubes, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, Mrs. Dash, pepper, and salt.
- Saute until the beef is fully cooked, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Push the Cancel button and then add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot and mix well.
- Secure the lid closed on the Instant Pot and make sure the seal is set to not release.
- Select the Manual button, and make sure it is set to High Pressure (change it if needed). Then, set the timer for 70 minutes (less if you soaked your beans).
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for about 10 minutes before carefully changing it to manually release any remaining steam.
- Serve in bowls with Fritos or other toritlla chips and shredded cheese.
Notes
- If you can’t find bolita beans, pinto beans are a good substitute.
- This recipe uses beans that have not been soaked, but you can soak them to significantly reduce the cooking time. Go to https://instantpot.com/instantpot-cooking-time/#tab-id-3 for more information on adjusting your recipe.
- If you use different beans, go to the link above for information on how to change your cooking time accordingly.
- Extra Spicy Mrs. Dash can be found at grocery stores in the spices aisle, but it can also be found online here.
