Creamy Refried Beans (in the Crockpot)
Hi. My name is Christina, and I’m a Mexican food addict. But it’s ok, because I’ve created my own little family of fellow Mexican food addicts. I’ve been known to put Chihuahua cheese on pretty much anything and there is always Mexican chorizo in my freezer and a few packages of corn tortillas in my fridge. I have cilantro handy more often than I do parsley and some form of tacos (mostly said chorizo with potatos, or chopped steak) grace our dinner table on a weekly basis. I’ve always liked Mexican food, but I don’t know when I really, really started to like Mexican food. I like to think this deep love was always there.
Ok, but seriously. We eat a lot of Mexican food. And there is nothing I like better with my tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas better than a big heap of refried beans. At their best, they are perfectly creamy, salty, and rich. Even out of a can, I still think they are pretty tasty and completely passable alongside our Mexican meal- and that’s saying a lot.
However, I’ve kind of been all about soaking and cooking my own beans lately, and I’ve seen how much better they can taste, and how the texture is infinitely better. Not to mention that it is loads cheaper and you don’t have to worry about BPA-lined tin cans. So it seemed natural to give it try with one of my favorite bean dishes. I love this recipe for lots of reasons: it’s super cheap, it makes a huge batch, so I can have lots of individual servings ready to defrost from the freezer, and they cook in the slow cooker, which means there is very little work involved. But none of those things would really matter if they didn’t taste amazing.
But good news: they do. I was somewhat skeptical about the lack of lard (yep, I bought those tasty lard-filled “authentico” cans at the store) and wasn’t convinced that they would have a full enough flavor to satisfy me. Turns out I didn’t need much convincing- one bite of these and I was hooked. It was one of those situations where I had to keep telling myself, “Put the spoon down. Ok. One more bite. No. I said one more. What’s happening?!” What’s happening is I am standing over the crockpot shoveling refried beans into my face. So yeah, they were good.
Creamy Refried Beans (in the Crockpot)
March 19, 2014
Category
Gluten Free
Side Dishes
Vegetarian
I used half broth and half water for the first batch of these, and that was perfect; however, I think even with just water, these would have plenty of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pinto beans, cleaned, soaked in water overnight, and drained
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or cayenne)
- 8 cups water (or chicken/vegetable broth, or a combo of water and broth)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the crockpot. You can give it a little stir if you like. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours, or the high setting for 5-6 hours. It's pretty hard to overcook these, so if it's longer, it'll be fine.
- Before serving, if there is a lot of liquid left, remove some of it using a glass measuring cup. (I removed about 2-3 cups of the liquid.) SAVE THIS LIQUID! You may want to add it back in if you like runnier refried beans. Now, depending on your preference, either mash the beans with a potato masher, or use the immersion blender to puree them. At this point, if you'd like thinner beans, add back in some of the liquid until you've reached your desired consistency.
- Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as the main attraction on top of some warm, toasty tortillas, topped with chihuahua cheese, a sprinkle of cilantro, and some hot sauce.
- Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions for several months, and thawed and reheated as needed.
© 2024 Copyright bread and wonderment
Creamy Refried Beans (in the Crockpot)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pinto beans, cleaned, soaked in water overnight, and drained
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or cayenne)
- 8 cups water (or chicken/vegetable broth, or a combo of water and broth)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the crockpot. You can give it a little stir if you like. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours, or the high setting for 5-6 hours. It's pretty hard to overcook these, so if it's longer, it'll be fine.
- Before serving, if there is a lot of liquid left, remove some of it using a glass measuring cup. (I removed about 2-3 cups of the liquid.) SAVE THIS LIQUID! You may want to add it back in if you like runnier refried beans. Now, depending on your preference, either mash the beans with a potato masher, or use the immersion blender to puree them. At this point, if you'd like thinner beans, add back in some of the liquid until you've reached your desired consistency.
- Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as the main attraction on top of some warm, toasty tortillas, topped with chihuahua cheese, a sprinkle of cilantro, and some hot sauce.
- Leftovers can be frozen in individual portions for several months, and thawed and reheated as needed.