Refried beans are a versatile dish that can be served as a side, in burritos, tostadas, or even as a dip. This recipe requires just a few minutes of prep time, and the result is a tasty addition to any Mexican-themed meal.
When eliminating meat and dairy from your diet, it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough protein from other sources. A 1/2 cup serving of beans provides 8 grams of protein. Beans are heart-healthy and can help lower cholesterol, too.
There’s no need to soak your dried beans before cooking them in the slow cooker. Just rinse them off and throw them into the crock with the rest of the ingredients. It’s that simple!
This makes a fairly large batch, but you can freeze the leftovers. I like to portion the beans into a muffin tin so I can pull out individual servings as needed.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (about 1 pound) dry pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a slow cooker and cover with water. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain excess liquid and reserve. Mash beans with a potato masher or an immersion blender. Add some of the liquid back in until desired consistency is achieved. (Beans will thicken as they cool, so you may want to thin them out a bit more to start.)
Notes
Freeze leftovers in a muffin tin and transfer to a freezer bag for storage.