This was a recipe I was pretty anxious to try. I love refried beans, and always make a pig of myself at any restaurant that serves them, but I have never, ever attempted to make them on my own.
You all know my love of crock pot cooking, so this recipe had major appeal.
And the result of my attempt? I loved them. I mean I LOVED them, and they were a big hit with the rest of the fam too.
Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans
1-2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 c. dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 a fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
one large pinch ground cumin
6 c. Water
In the bottom of a 5-6 qt. slow cooker, place the quartered onions (I broke the onion sections up and left an onion just halved to put on top of the beans).
Combine all ingredients and pour into the crock pot.
Cook on low for 8 hours, or overnight if desired.
Remove the bigger onion chunks, and drain the left over liquid into a bowl. Save the juice to use to make the mashed beans the right consistency for your tastes.
Mash the bean mix with a potato masher, adding reserved liquid a little at a time until your happy with them (I used all of the reserved liquid by the time I was happy).
Done!!!
I omitted the fresh jalapeno pepper, and used a couple of tablespoons of canned, diced jalapeno peppers instead. I'm such a sissy when it comes to spicy stuff, and I think the next time I make these, I will substitute canned diced green chilies instead!
Note: This recipe makes a lot of beans. We had left overs for days, (we made burritos, hot bean dip, layered bean dip, quesadilla's, tostada's, taco's, and whatever else we could think of) so if you have a smaller family you may want to cut the recipe in half. However my girlfriend made this recipe and froze her extra's and said they freeze great!
Recipe adapted from:
100daysofrealfood.com
