You take some black beans (enough for yourself & your family) & cook them..
Also prepare some rice (enough for everyone) & cook that, so it’s done
around the same time as the beans.. Then when your beans and rice are done,
add a jar of salsa (or to taste) to the beans and mix, until all the beans
are coated in salsa. Dip out some rice and put beans mixed with salsa on
top.. Enjoy. 
It may sound strange or yucky, but it’s really quite
tasty… And most importantly… CHEAP! lol If you like spicy, you can even
add a can of rotel.. Or a can of diced tomatoes to make it more chunky, if
you are not a big fan of spicy food. 
This dish is especially good with
homemade salsas and canned veggies… And corn salsa. Picante (like Pace
Picante) sauce is also good, and has a lot of other veggies in it, like
onions, peppers & etc.
I get those really big bags of rice from an Asian market (you can get a 20lb
bag for like $8.00 & some of them are even calcium enriched).. You can store
the rice in one of those air tight dog food bins… lol Sounds kinda ghetto,
but it works really well. I keep a 1 cup scoop in with mine, so I can
just dip out a cup or two of rice and put the lid back on & get cooking.
And.. Honestly, black beans & rice is one of my favorite meals.
HBHW reader Candy
I make something similar, but make a soup instead and eat it with tortilla chips. I cook 1 lb. dry beans in my crock pot, then I add a jar of salsa. I use my immersion blender to blend it up. Stir in a splash of lemon or lime juice, some salt and parsley. Serve with or without a dallop of sour cream. Eat with tortilla chips. My girls love this and we eat it once a week.
would this recipe/technique also work for dried pinto beans? or red kidney beans?
You can always switch the type of beans – the flavor will change some, but that is part of the fun! DH likes to eat hummus on tortillas, like a bean burrito – smashed chick peas instead of pinto beans… I used to make bean and grain burgers, where I would switch the beans each time for variety.
If you have a little more time and want to get creative, here is the recipe I make:
1 can undrained black or pink beans
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped ham or pork
2 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
salt/pepper and 1 tsp dried oregeno
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth or water
a few dashes of hot sauce
heat oil in saucepan, add onion, pepper, garlic cook until soft. add ham/pork. add one can of undrained black or pink beans. stir, then add sauce, broth or water and salt, pepper, oregeno and a couple shakes of hot sauce. bring to a simmer and cook for 10 min. serve over hot cooked rice. my husband adds extra hot sauce to hi:)