Servings: about 2 quarts

1 pound dried black beans, picked through, rinsed 1 pound dried black beans, picked through, rinsed
1 bay leaf 1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, finely chopped, divided 1 medium onion, finely chopped, divided
1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped, divided 1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped, divided
8 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided 8 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided
5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt, plus more 5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 teaspoon dried Mexican or Italian oregano, divided 1 teaspoon dried Mexican or Italian oregano, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper Freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro leaves with tender stems (for serving; optional) Cilantro leaves with tender stems (for serving; optional)

Bring beans, bay leaf, ¼ cup chopped onion, ¼ cup chopped bell pepper, 1 Tbsp. grated garlic, 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton salt, ½ tsp. oregano, and 5 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more hot water if needed to cover, until beans are tender and covered by about ¼" liquid, 2½ to 3 hours. Discard bay leaf.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-low. Add remaining onion, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir into cooked beans. Top with cilantro, if using.
Do Ahead: Beans can be made 3 months ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Edit: I pre-soaked 1/2 lb beans so cut the recipe in half, sauteed the onions/peppers/garlic in the pot before adding the beans. Salted by feel, probably same amount as recipe (Diamond Crystal). Only 2 cups of water. Simmered 90 minutes, had to add a quarter to a half cup of hot water with 30 minutes to go. Turned out tasty.  Edit: I pre-soaked ½ lb beans so cut the recipe in half, sauteed the onions/peppers/garlic in the pot before adding the beans. Salted by feel, probably same amount as recipe (Diamond Crystal). Only 2 cups of water. Simmered 90 minutes, had to add a quarter to a half cup of hot water with 30 minutes to go. Turned out tasty.
I cooked the full recipe but I'm a single person so the next day I got the beans out of the refrigerator to put them in single-serving freezer containers. This recipe is so good that I ate about a quarter of the beans, standing at the sink, while they were cold. THEY ARE DELICIOUS!  I cooked the full recipe but I'm a single person so the next day I got the beans out of the refrigerator to put them in single-serving freezer containers. This recipe is so good that I ate about a quarter of the beans, standing at the sink, while they were cold. THEY ARE DELICIOUS!
Love To Cook  Love To Cook
Bethlehem, PA  Bethlehem, PA
2/20/2022  2/20/2022
A tablespoon of salt for a pound of beans!?! Are we cooking or pickling?  A tablespoon of salt for a pound of beans!?! Are we cooking or pickling?
Gryphonisle  Gryphonisle
San Francisco  San Francisco
2/13/2022  2/13/2022
Very easy and tasty recipe! I only cooked 1/2 pound of beans so adjusted amounts accordingly. I always soak my beans and they were done in about 90 minutes.  Very easy and tasty recipe! I only cooked ½ pound of beans so adjusted amounts accordingly. I always soak my beans and they were done in about 90 minutes.
Kimberly  Kimberly
Seattle  Seattle
10/11/2021  10/1½021
Delicious! I served it over rice. I got the whole apartment clean by the time the beans were done so it was perfect! I used less garlic than called for because my cloves were ginormous, I used 3 very large ones. It turned out perfectly.  Delicious! I served it over rice. I got the whole apartment clean by the time the beans were done so it was perfect! I used less garlic than called for because my cloves were ginormous, I used 3 very large ones. It turned out perfectly.
Anonymous  Anonymous
Spokane, WA  Spokane, WA
8/1/2021  8/½021
Made this recipe exactly as instructed and it turned out superb! Tip: do not soak the beans, they will only soak up the water if they are cooked from dry. Also, if you don’t have diamond crystal kosher salt (as the recipe states) consider halving or quartering your salt. Can’t recommend this enough.  Made this recipe exactly as instructed and it turned out superb! Tip: do not soak the beans, they will only soak up the water if they are cooked from dry. Also, if you don’t have diamond crystal kosher salt (as the recipe states) consider halving or quartering your salt. Can’t recommend this enough.
La Croix  La Croix
Sydney, AU  Sydney, AU
7/11/2021  7/1½021
Hmm. The flavor of these beans is out of this world. The amount of salt recommended? Overkill. I should have listened to the other reviewers, encouraging people to use half of the recommended salt. I LOVE salt. In fact, my partner regularly asks that I reduce the amount of salt that I season with, as it is too much for him. This might be the first time that I have made a recipe and the salt was too overpowering for my seemingly tolerant palette. Please use half of the salt or even a quarter and adjust for your preferences. I have to throw out the whole pot of beans that I made because they are truly inedible. I will try the recipe again, just with reduced salt and less water as well. Four quarts is probably plenty. There was a significant amount of liquid leftover at the three-hour mark, and I did not soak beforehand. It's a bummer because the flavor really was nice.  Hmm. The flavor of these beans is out of this world. The amount of salt recommended? Overkill. I should have listened to the other reviewers, encouraging people to use half of the recommended salt. I LOVE salt. In fact, my partner regularly asks that I reduce the amount of salt that I season with, as it is too much for him. This might be the first time that I have made a recipe and the salt was too overpowering for my seemingly tolerant palette. Please use half of the salt or even a quarter and adjust for your preferences. I have to throw out the whole pot of beans that I made because they are truly inedible. I will try the recipe again, just with reduced salt and less water as well. Four quarts is probably plenty. There was a significant amount of liquid leftover at the three-hour mark, and I did not soak beforehand. It's a bummer because the flavor really was nice.
Anonymous  Anonymous
Portland, OR  Portland, OR
4/26/2021  4/26/2021
Excellent, but I recommend to tone down the salt. I added 1 tbsp Kosher salt as instructed but found it too salty. I will probably cut back by 1 tsp next time. I had this with sliced up avocado over rice, and even with corn tortillas with some pork. They were even good the day after!  Excellent, but I recommend to tone down the salt. I added 1 tbsp Kosher salt as instructed but found it too salty. I will probably cut back by 1 tsp next time. I had this with sliced up avocado over rice, and even with corn tortillas with some pork. They were even good the day after!