Pinto Bean Casserole

We had pinto beans leftover from a couple of days ago. Around my house, no one really likes to eat them plain after they've sat in the fridge and thickened up. This is a great recipe to use them up. I also like it because it's a whole meal in one. Maybe add a veggie or salad for the side, and you've got dinner. So easy!


Pinto Bean Casserole

1 lb. turkey sausage
2 c. pinto beans
2 T. minced onion
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis (or appropriate substitutes)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 recipe of cornbread batter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook turkey sausage and minced onion. Drain well and crumble into a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Next, layer pinto beans tomatoes, and cheese. Top with cornbread batter. The batter will run down throughout the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until batter is cooked through.

The first time I made this, I used a whole recipe of cornbread batter and ended up with a huge mess and a very dirty oven. Not to mention it took a LOT longer than 30 mins to cook. Now, I still make the full cornbread recipe, but bake corn muffins with the other half.

You could easily stretch this one into a 9x13 dish, by adding more of your favorite ingredients from above and using the full cornbread recipe.