This & That: Homemade Refried Beans

September 04, 2011

Homemade Refried Beans

I know it's really easy to pick up a can of refried beans at the store. But trust me, it's almost no effort at all to make them. The crock pot does most of the work, and they taste really good. And if you compare the price of a store bought can to the homemade equivalent? I bought the dry beans for $.79, add some strips of bacon, some onion and a pepper, and I got the equivalent of 5 cans for maybe $.90. That's pretty cheap. Please note that these are not technically "refried" as there's no frying involved, but the end result is just like what you get in the can, minus the preservatives and extra cost. I got the original recipe from Colleen's Recipe Blog.

Refried Beans

3 cups dry pinto beans
1 medium onion, cut in quarters
6 strips of bacon, diced and cooked crisp
A couple Tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan (not necessary, but very tasty)
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
A jalepeno pepper (This can be adjusted to taste, but this is what works for us)
9 cups water

Put everything in the crockpot and cook on high for 8 hours or till tender. Scoop out some of the beans and a little of the liquid and put in a food processor. Puree in batches, adding just enough of the reserved bean liquid to make the beans the right consistency. Put the pepper and onion in the processor, too. Use immediately and/or freeze in the quantities you want.

*Do not pre-soak the beans
* Check the beans after 6-7 hours, if it looks like they are losing too much liquid (this has never happened to me), add another cup of water.