Homemade Black Refried Beans Recipe

A few months ago I had the privilege of helping prepare for a Mexican Fiesta. A few of my friends were invited to Mexican-native, Marta’s home early in the morning where she spent all day teaching us how to make traditional Mexican dishes such as chicken and pork tamales and refried beans. She spoke only a few words of English, and I speak even less Spanish, however–food has a way of bridging cultural gaps and our communication never lacked.

The fiesta was a blast, the food was AMAZING–much better than what I’ve had in restaurants, and the hand-made piñatas were a smashing success ;).

Before Marta taught me how to make refried beans, canned beans were always a staple in my pantry. But now that I’ve learned how EASY (and inexpensive) making refried beans can be, I love making my own and keeping a supply in the freezer for a quick Mexican-inspired side dish or meal.

Marta’s traditional recipe included lard, but in my re-make version I’ve opted to skip that step to make the beans healthier, instead adding flavor with extra seasonings. I also prefer the convenience of a slow cooker, but you can certainly cook your beans in a pot on the stovetop until they are tender. In this recipe I used black beans, but feel free to substitute pinto if you prefer.

Homemade Black Refried Beans

Author/Source:

Pam @ Once a Month Mom

Ingredient:

• 1 lb. dry black beans, rinsed and picked over
• 1.25 cups onion, chopped
• 2 TBSP garlic, minced
• 5 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 9 cups water
• 4 quart freezer bags or containers

Directions:

Place onion, beans, garlic, salt, pepper, and water into a slow cooker. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, reserving the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher or puree in food processor or blender, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. (I like to leave mine a bit chunky.)

Freezing Directions:

Portion in freezer bags or containers, label, and freeze. To serve: Thaw and reheat in microwave or on stovetop. Serve as a side dish, burrito filling, with nachos, etc.

Servings: 4

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 7:00 am and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.