Friday, August 28, 2015

Refried Beans



Yesterday I posted a review for the wonderful crockpot cookbook, Fix-It and Forget-It® Slow Cooker Magic, 550 Amazing Everyday Recipes by Phyllis Good. Today I'm going to give you one of the recipes that I tried, with great success I might add, Refried Beans, attributed to cook Gail Shetler of Goshen, Indiana. All I can say is thank you, Gail! As you all know, I love Mexican food, all kinds, authentic or Americanized. In addition to the delicious main dishes, I also enjoy the sides, arroz (rice) and (frijoles) beans among them. In the past, the majority of my Mexican side dishes either came from a box or can, so when I saw an easy, crockpot recipe for Refried Beans I had to give it a try.

My expectations were pretty low, so I was delighted, after 9 hours of fragrant cooking, to find that these beans are delicious.  The original recipe is below, but I did stir in about a tablespoon of adobo sauce with the salt. I also had only a 1-lb. bag of pinto beans that equaled about 2-1/3 cups, so I cut back on the amount of water by two cups, leaving all other quantities the same. If you love frijoles like I do, give them a try, and let me know what you think.

Refried Beans
Makes 8-10 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5-11 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5 quart.
 

1 medium onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, washed and sorted
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped, or 1 T. canned jalapeno, chopped (more or less, to taste)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper (I used less)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (Next time I'll use more)
9 cups water
3 or so teaspoons salt

Grease interior of slow cooker crock. Combine all ingredients in crock EXCEPT salt. (Salt can prevent or slow down cooking dried beans soft.)

Cover. Cook on high 5-7 hours or low 9-11 hours, or until beans are as soft as you like them.

Drain off a few cups of liquid and save liquid. Mash beans in crock with potato masher. Add some of saved liquid to reach the consistency that you like. Stir in salt.

These beans freeze well.

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7 comments:

Denise said...

Look delicious, I'm gonna have to try.

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

They look yummy - will have to give them a try.
I just love Mexican food and could eat it every day.
Have a great weekend.
Mary

Linda said...

Thank you Pattie - I was hoping you'd share that recipe! I actually looked online for it yesterday. :) Yes we both love refried beans, and I will let you know how it goes. The fact that your son, after smelling the aroma, did more work so he could stay and eat - that says volumes!

Carlee said...

What a great recipe to have! This sounds plenty easy and better than the canned stuff. Pinning to try!

Sharon S said...

Thank you for sharing that recipe. I, too, was hoping you would share it! I definitely plan to look for that cookbook.
Question......dried beans have a 'certain reputation' which I always thought that presoaking helped take care of. Does the long, slow cooking take care of the issue?

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

Yes, Sharon, the long slow cooking seems to alleviate any problem that one might have with the beans. ;-)

Morsels of Life | CJ Huang said...

I'm definitely a fan of making refried beans in the slow cooker - so much easier. :) Thanks for stopping by and sharing this recipe with us - you're featured this week on Five Friday Finds as most popular! I'm looking forward to your recipe this week. :)