Refried Bean Recipe

Refried Bean Recipe

I have a very great dish featuring the Chili Relleno that needs a traditional and excellent side dish of yummy refried beans that are a requirement for eating my relleno’s. Any traditional Mexican style chili relleno dish is not complete without a delicious siding of those refried pinto beans.

I’ve tried to use the canned version of these refried beans then added some additional ingredients; they taste ok but if you’re making the original and traditional Mexican relleno’s then traditional refried beans are in order. Do not worry this dish is quite easy to prepare.

You have the choice to use either use black or pinto beans to make authentic refried beans, Mexican style. The pinto bean type is usually the most common type used for the dish. Personally, this is my preference as well.

Canned pinto beans are ok to use for this recipe but if you’re using Mexican style to boil the dried pinto beans then your dish will taste better. Using dried pinto beans is better for this particular dish. If you’ll be soaking beans overnight, their cooking time will lessen but it isn’t really a needed step. If you just allow them to simmer and cook in your pot for a couple of hrs then you’ll get yummy tasting & tender beans to complement your dish.

Below are some steps to have that delicious tasting refried bean dish.

1) Be sure to wash beans thoroughly inside a colander or strainer.

2) Get 2 medium sized onions and chop them up well. Fry them using 3-4 tbsps of oil just until onions get browned and caramelized. The fried onions will add this really hearty flavor & taste to your dish.

3) Add beans to your saucepot filled with lots of water enough to completely cover these beans. Use your big pot because beans are going to grow big when you’re cooking them up. You could add water later on if needed.

4) Add to your pot your browned onions together with those oils that were used to caramelize them up. Add them to your pot then bring them to a boil gently.

5) For this particular step, you could choose to stir in salt or you could skip it. Salt will add that rich flavor into your dish but they can also prevent beans from getting soft & creamy, the choice is up to you.

6) Usually it takes beans 3-5 hrs for them to really get tenderized. One indication that they’ve cooked already is if their insides have that creamy feel & the chalky texture is already gone.

Simple Refried Bean Recipe

1 bag pinto beans
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon crushed hot pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)
4 strips bacon, including grease
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or lard

First, sort beans. Be sure all pebbles and debris are removed from them before you eat them. A good way to do this is to dump two handfuls at 1 time onto a plate.

As each handful is cleared of debris, dump it into a colander to be rinsed. After beans are all been properly sorted and rinsed, put them into a clean and large kettle and add about three times more water as beans inside your kettle. Leave beans inside the water overnight.

When you wake up the very next day, drain your pinto beans, & place them into a crock pot. Add water. Beans should be submerged with about one inch of water over the top. (If needed, add additional water as beans cook.)

Cook beans on low for around four hours or until soft. The older the bean, the longer cooking time it needs. Add cumin, salt, crushed pepper and chili powder to your crock pot.

Meanwhile, fry the bacon, and crumble it into your skillet. Add chopped garlic and minced onion, then continue frying on low for several minutes.

Drain beans one spoonful at a time, and add them to your skillet. Mash beans as you add them. Use your potato masher, but do not worry about perfection. There should be texture to your bean dish, so leave some beans whole. Once you have all your pinto beans inside the skillet, add additional butter or lard. If beans are moist enough, however, do not add any additional grease.

Fry beans over a very low heat. Do not burn. If beans begin to stick, add 1 tablespoon or so of water or juice from pickled hot peppers. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.

If you’re not planning on using all your homemade refried bean mixture in 1 or 2 days, freeze it in airtight containers. To prevent waste, freeze only enough for one meal in each container