What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen

Kelli hasn’t spent quite enough time in her kitchen as of late.  

Last week, I traveled south to Las Vegas for work. The trip felt just a little bit too long, but it was productive. I joined a group from the Nevada Department of Agriculture and Grown in Nevada on a series of farm visits (yes, there are farms in Las Vegas), presented at the 2025 Urban Agriculture Conference, and had some exciting meetings about growing our marketing program for Nevada farmers.  While I generally use trips to Vegas to eat fun things and try out new restaurants, the demands of this trip kept me inside the walls of South Point for the duration.  

So, upon my return to the North, which couldn’t come quickly enough, I was craving a home-cooked meal.  And nothing says “home-cooked” and “comfort” for me more than beans. What a surprise, right? 

A Note on Bean Dishes

I recently took a moment to review my past columns published in The Fallon Post, and I was thrilled to see that I had reader comments!  Nothing makes me happier than reading comments from folks who tried out a recipe. Did you try a dish?  Did you like it? How did you adapt it to fit your family preferences? The comments were submitted on an article about a cheesy green chile bean bake that has been read almost 10,000 times (holy cow). This recipe goes out to all of you who enjoyed the previous bean bake.

Kelli’s Pork and White Bean Bake with Chile Crisp

INGREDIENTS:

2 T olive oil

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced, whites and light green parts separated

1 # ground pork (can substitute tofu if you want)

3 T tomato paste

2-4 T chile crisp *See Note

½ # white beans, cooked until soft or substitute 2 cans of white beans, drained

½ c chicken stock

8 oz shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (or substitute your preferred cheddar)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In an oven-safe skillet (cast iron, braiser, etc) heat olive oil until shimmery. Add in garlic and the white and light green parts of the green onions. Saute until soft and starting to turn golden.  Add in ground pork and cook, stirring regularly, until browned. 
3. Add in tomato paste and continue cooking until well combined and a little darker red.  Add in chile crisp and stir to combine. Add in drained beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and let cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Top with shredded cheese and dark green parts of the onions. Pop in the oven until the cheese is melted and the dish is bubbling.
5. Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips or tortillas for dipping.

*Note about Chile Crisp

Each brand of chile crisp has a different level of heat.  Add enough chile crisp to make your mouth tingly but not enough to fry your palette. I used Fly by Jing Sichuan and Xtra Spicy Chile Crisps (both available at Safeway) and added 2 T each.