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    Home > Mexican Southwest Recipes > Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeño

    Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeño

    Published: Oct 3, 2013 · Modified: Jul 5, 2020 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    crock pot bolita beans with

    Bolita Beans simmered in red wine, smoked paprika, sweet bell pepper and garnished with crisp rings of fresh jalapeno. A delicious side dish for a Mexican Dinner.

    Bolita Beans with slices of Jalapeno

    Out of sheer curiosity I purchased a package of Bolita Beans at LuLu’s Market in Brighton. Once home with my mysterious bag of beans, I Googled and found this out about the Bolita Bean.

    What Are Bolita Beans?

    Spanish settlers to the northern New Mexican region initially presented the Bolita Bean to North America. The bean was incorporated into much of the American Indian food traditions in the Four Corners region.

    With its high protein content and its general ease on the stomach, the Bolita Bean became an important crop, quickly becoming extensively cultivated throughout the American southwest. The beans are deep, pinkish-beige, almost salmon in color, and boast a taste richer in flavor than the Pinto bean, to which it is often compared. Unfortunately, because of this easy association, the Bolita Bean often looses out to the pinto bean in sales.

    Bolito Beans Adobe Milling

    The beans are packaged by Adobe Milling, here in Dove Creek, Colorado. But where the heck is Dove Creek anyway?  Well come to find out it’s the county seat of Dolores County in the Southwestern corner of our state.

    With a population 698 it’s also the most populated town in Dolores County. Dove Creek is the self-proclaimed Pinto Bean Capital of the World. Well who knew!

    How to Cook Bolita Beans

    So what to do with these beans? Treating them like my Cowboy Beans, I simply rinsed one cup of beans, picked out the misfits and dumped them in the crockpot.

    I always like to add a tablespoon of lard to the slow cooker to give them even a creamier consistency. I covered the beans with two cups water and turned them on low for an all day cook.

    And while we’re on the subject of quick bean side dish recipes, you might want to take a look at these Mexican Chorizo Instant Pot Pinto Beans.

    Odd for our house, we had a partial bottle of red wine leftover, so when I arrived home, I added about 1/2 cup full-bodied red wine, one teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 onion chopped, one clove garlic chopped, 1/2 chocolate bell pepper chopped (or any sweet bell pepper), one jalapeno pepper chopped, one teaspoon, or more, of cumin, one teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.  After about an hour more of steeping in the crockpot, I gave them a good dose of salt before serving.

    I found these rich colored Chocolate Bell Peppers at Berry Patch Farms in Brighton. Sweet, juicy, heirloom, just as the sign says, “who can resist?”

    Incredible with flavor, the beans were creamy and the end result was an earthy pungent side dish that we loved. With the paprika, red wine and the chocolate bell peppers, the color was stunning.

    Where to buy Bolita Beans in Colorado

    The most reliable source to buy Bolita beans in Colorado or to order them nationwide is straight from the source. Adobe Milling in Dove Creek, Colorado.

    Recipe for Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeno

    I hope you give this Recipe for Bolita Beans a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

    Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite bean side dish recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try. And if you can’t find bolita beans for purchase, you can use Anasazi beans or even pinto beans for this recipe.

    Looking for more dried beans recipes? You won’t want to miss:

    • Mexican Chorizo Instant Pot Pinto Beans
    • Bolita Bean and Beef Soup
    • Cowboy Beans
    • Instant Pot Refried Beans

    And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.

    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.

    Bolita Beans with slices of Jalapeno

    Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeno

    A wonderfully seasoned dried bean side dish for any steak, or Mexican Meal.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Southwestern
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 hours
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 71kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dried bolita beans
    • 1 Tablespoon lard
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 clove garlic chopped chopped
    • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
    • 1 dash cinnamon
    • 1 dash nutmeg
    • 1/2 cup full-bodied red wine
    • 1/2 onion chopped
    • 1/2 chocolate bell pepper chopped, or any sweet bell pepper,
    • 1-2 jalapeno pepper, divided chopped. Stemmed and seeded if you wish to reduce heat.
    • salt to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Rinse and pick through beans to remove any misfits. Place the beans in the crockpot. Cover with enough water to cover beans by 1 – 2 inches. Place the lid on the crockpot and let the beans soak overnight.
    • The next morning, drain beans.
    • Add a nice scoop of lard to the beans in the crockpot and add 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until beans are tender.
    • Stir in cumin, paprika, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, wine, onion and bell pepper. Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno (only if you want less heat) Chop half and add to beans and save the other half to garnish beans. Cover and continue to cook in crockpot for one hour.
    • Add salt and stir well. To serve plate and garnish with rings of jalapeno pepper.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeño …It’s What’s for a Side Dish.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kathryn L Ranieri says

      September 04, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      5 stars
      Nuanced flavors that were reminiscent of my former life in western Colorado. Wonderful recipe. Thanks so much.

      Reply
    2. Lisa de Kramer says

      November 05, 2017 at 12:24 pm

      I love Bolita Beans. Way better than the Pinto which is way over rated. I will never cook another Pinto. I live in Cortez, Co so Dove Creek is only 30 minutes away. You should try the Zuni Gold those are so yummy. You can use the Bolita just as you would a Pinto but the flavor is way better.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        November 06, 2017 at 3:57 pm

        I’m so glad to hear from you. When I posted this and to this day, I feared I was the only one who knew about Bolita Beans. This year, our market in Brighton didn’t have any, I’ll have to order them straight from them. I’d love to try those Zuni Gold. Thanks for the tip.

        Reply
    3. Vickie says

      October 11, 2013 at 10:49 am

      I so love beans like this! Not surprisingly, there are no Bolitos in this neck of the woods, so I’m going to try it with pintos. Thanks!

      Reply
    4. Yvette says

      October 05, 2013 at 4:25 pm

      Beans and wine — wow! Sounds super interesting. I’ve never heard of this bean variety. Great sounding recipe — yummy!

      Reply
    5. Jodie says

      October 03, 2013 at 3:44 pm

      If I had just one wish to span all the food blogs I subscribe to it would be: Can you please give a recipe that is printer ink & paper friendly that is clickable. I really like to read the comments & a picture of the dish is sometimes nice, but it uses so much ink & paper that I am constantly getting into trouble with my husband for wasting resources like printer ink which is very expensive & paper. I now print on both sides of the page, but he still complains if it takes more than 1 sheet to print a recipe. This looks very good, I will have to order the beans online but we will sure try them. We love beans and they are diabetic friendly in moderation. tysm

      Reply
    6. Happy Valley Chow says

      October 03, 2013 at 3:32 pm

      I’ve never heard of chocolate bell peppers before, they look so cool! This recipe sounds amazing, great job 🙂

      Happy Blogging!
      Happy Valley Chow

      Reply
    7. Karen says

      October 03, 2013 at 8:47 am

      I’m glad winter is around the corner… love to put beans in the crockpot. I’ve never heard of chocolate bell peppers… they sound good!

      Reply
    8. Rocky Mountain Woman says

      October 03, 2013 at 8:26 am

      I love your cowboy beans, so I’m on the hunt for bolitos now!

      Reply
    9. Larry says

      October 03, 2013 at 8:02 am

      After looking at Dove Creek, we went thru there on our way from Moab to Durango and it didn’t even register. Maybe I should do a little more research from now on as I would have ended up with a few pounds of Bolito’s.

      Reply
    10. Larry says

      October 03, 2013 at 7:56 am

      looks like a great dish Lea Ann and now I’m off to research them and Dove Creek.

      Reply
    11. Stephanie@PlainChicken.com says

      October 03, 2013 at 7:33 am

      These look great! I bet they tasted amazing!!

      Reply
    12. Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says

      October 03, 2013 at 4:41 am

      As a southerner, we love our beans so I’m a big fan. They are so pretty. I’ll have to keep my eye out for them in a specialty store. Love all of the flavor you’ve packed into this recipe Lea Ann.
      Sam

      Reply

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    I'm Lea Ann, A Culinary School Grad bringing you Wild West Colorado inspired recipes. You'll find lots of Southwestern, and Mexican food recipes, and some favorites from Culinary School along with pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous home cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of inspiration and reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

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