Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Homemade Refried Beans



Finally, I found a homemade refried bean recipe that works for me.
I've tried a few and they were either tasteless, or ended up a mashed, burnt mess.

I plan on freezing in 1-2cup portions for quick lunches and dinners. They would be wonderful as a dip - maybe mix in a jar of salsa and melt a bunch of cheese on top - YUM!

(Recipe from All Recipes, Refried Beans Without the Refry)
*I did soak the beans overnight, though the recipe doesn't mention it.*

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
(I simply sliced into 2 quarters and left them whole)

2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt (I added toward the last hour of cooking, as I've read that adding them before that can create tough beans)
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water (I used 2 cups chicken broth, and may experiment with 3-4 cups next time...it definitely added to the flavor)

Directions:
1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.

2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

7 comments:

Laura said...

Ooh, I'm glad you posted this! I tried a refried bean recipe about 6 months ago, but it was a huge hassle and it tasted awful, so I gave up and have been buying the canned kind. I'm going to make yours now!

Does Graeme eat these? I was wondering about the jalapeno pepper. My kids like beans, but not spicy things. Should I leave the pepper out?

Amanda said...

They are not spicy at all - I wouldn't even say they have a "kick". IDK if that's b/c I didn't chop it, but I think it just gives it a bit of flavor.

Yeah, these are so cheap to make!

Oh, and I just edited the post to say that I did soak the beans overnight, even though the recipe didn't mention that.

Courtney said...

great recipe. i was just eating canned organic ones thinking i really need to make some of my own. will have to try.

Amanda @ Mommy's Idea Book said...

Oh, how I love slow cooker recipes and those refried beans look really good - so much better than out of the can. Thanks for the recipe!

Amanda said...

We've been eating canned ones (though, like I said, I've tried a few other times to make homemade) - these are as good/better. Plus, they are so much cheaper and better for us. I was thrilled to find a recipe that actually works.

Melonie said...

Yum, these sounds awesome. I don't like the canned kind very much, personally.

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Myra @ My Blessed Life said...

Just wanted to let you know that I made these and they are delish! I added a little bit of taco seasoning and used green chilies instead of jalapenos since I had the chilies on hand. Super yum! Thanks for posting this!